Waldorf Volleyball Battles Hard in Four-Set Loss to Dakota Wesleyan
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dakota Wesleyan (SD) (14-9, 8-5) | 25 | 26 | 20 | 28 | 3 |
|
Waldorf (10-10, 2-10) | 22 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 1 |
FOREST CITY, Iowa — The Waldorf Warriors volleyball team put up an impressive fight Wednesday night, October 22, at Hanson Fieldhouse, but came up just short against Dakota Wesleyan University, falling 3-1 in a tightly contested match.
Set scores were 25-22, 26-24, 20-25, and 28-26 in favor of the Tigers.
Despite the narrow loss, the Warriors statistically outperformed the Tigers in several categories, including kills (65–47) and service aces (8–3).
Leading the way offensively, Anna Longhenry and Kaylin Koch each tallied 15 kills. Longhenry posted an efficient .324 hitting percentage on 37 attempts, while Jalyn Hovenga and Emily Goodner added 10 kills apiece to balance out Waldorf's attack.
Setting duties were split between Reinya Balderson and Gianna Sifuentes, who orchestrated the Warrior offense with 29 and 22 assists, respectively. Sifuentes also made her mark at the service line, notching 4 of Waldorf's 8 aces.
Defensively, McKenna Marlow anchored the back row with 25 digs, while Ashley Kurschner contributed 17 and Rina Maiava added 13. At the net, Emily Soukup recorded 6 blocks and Longhenry chipped in 5, helping the Warriors keep the Tigers' offense in check throughout the match.
After dropping the first two close sets, Waldorf surged back to take the third 25-20, powered by sharp serving and a balanced offensive rhythm. The fourth set proved to be another thriller, but despite several late leads, the Warriors fell 28-26 as the Tigers escaped with the victory.
With the loss, Waldorf moves to 10-10 overall on the season. The Warriors will look to bounce back this weekend as they travel to Sioux Center, Iowa, to face Dordt University on Saturday, October 25. JV action begins at 1:30 p.m., with Varsity to follow at approximately 3:30 p.m.