SIOUX CITY, Iowa — No. 25 Dakota Wesleyan Volleyball faced No. 11 The Master’s (Calif.) in its second contest in pool play at the 2025 NAIA National Championship at the Tyson Events Center.
The Master’s opened up the first set with momentum that they carried through the beginning portions of the contest. The Tigers surged in the middle of the set, stringing together five-straight points to close TMU’s lead to 17-13, but the Mustangs were able to cut off DWU’s counterattack to eventually claim the first set, 25-19.
Offensively, Dakota Wesleyan was led by the duo of Karly VanDerWerff and Evy Knoblock, who both had fantastic showings throughout the National Championship. VanDerWerff and Knoblock each posted 12 points in their respective efforts. The Tigers saw production from Emily Dale as well, who paired with both VanDerWerff and Olivia Bures at the net to combine for eight blocks in total, while Dale ended the contest with 10 posted kills. The Tiger attack fueled a gritty comeback in the second set following an initial surge from The Master’s, which saw DWU go on another five-point scoring run to take a 19-16 lead. TMU battled back but were closed out of the contest thanks to crucial points from Keatyn Liebsack. The true freshman from Bennington, Nebraska, ended up leading DWU in kills with 15 overall as she was placed in her most prominent role of the season. Her efforts, alongside the other typical DWU offensive contributors, tied up the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 win in set two.
The offense was mainly fueled by Kayleigh Hybertson at the setter position. The back-to-back GPAC Setter of the Year posted 43 assists overall while contributing 15 digs defensively and five kills, which crucially aided Dakota Wesleyan as the contest continued. The Tigers and Mustangs traded points through set three, but an eventual 16-13 lead for The Master’s would force a Dakota Wesleyan timeout. The Mustangs kept the lead for the remainder of the frame, claiming a 25-21 win in set three.
Throughout the contest, DWU’s defensive capabilities were on full display, spearheaded by the GPAC Co-Defender of the Year, Elizabeth Tyler, who recorded 26 digs in a stellar performance. Along with Tyler and Hybertson, Carlee Laubach contributed on the back line, posting 13 digs, while Abigail Zegar and Presly Pastian combined for 22 overall.
Set number four saw the Tigers swing momentum back in their favor by jumping out to an initial 11-6 lead that was extended all the way to 17-8 thanks to pressure from the service line alongside a synergized offense that forced multiple timeouts from the opposition along the way. Dakota Wesleyan ended up cruising to a 25-11 win in the set to force a fifth and final frame.
In the fifth set, The Master’s found a couple of initial points, but the offensive surge of Knoblock gave DWU an early advantage, leading 8-6 before swapping sides. The Tigers kept their distance from the Mustangs as the margin for error began to shrink down the stretch, eventually extending the lead to 13-9. A final surge from The Master’s was halted by Dakota Wesleyan, claiming set five by a score of 15-13, and securing a win in pool play.
DWU Volleyball awaits the results of tomorrow’s contest between Concordia and The Master’s to see if its season will continue.