The Buena Vista volleyball team takes a 1-1 conference mark into play tonight when it plays at Wartburg College (11-3, 1-0 IIAC) on Wednesday night in a JV/V doubleheader. The match is the first of two league matches for the Beavers this week.

Broadcast Info:
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/wartburg/wvball/
Live Video: https://livestream.com/wartburgknightvision/vb17
Live Audio: http://kbvu.streamon.fm/

Team Previews:

About Wartburg: The Knights are the only team in the conference yet to lose a league match, and they will put their 3-1 home record this season on the line against BVU.  Wartburg is holding opponents to only a .125 attack percentage on the year, including a .096 in its only IIAC match thus far - a five-set home victory against Coe College on September 20.  The team is third in kills/set overall (12.11) and is just one of three teams to be averaging better than 12.00/set.  Aryn Jones (.364) and Kylie Bildstein (.299) sit first and third, respectively, in hitting percentage with Jones ranked third in kills/set (3.92).  Jones is second in serving aces and fourth in blocks.  Katie Foster helps lead the team, defensively, with 4.94 digs/set which is also third in the league.  Jones and Foster are this week's IIAC Performers of the Week.  The Knights, the reigning league and tournament champions from a year ago, are 5-1 in their last six matches with the lone loss coming to Aurora in five sets on Saturday during the IIAC/NACC Crossover.  They were picked to win the league again this season, edginig Luther for the top spot.

Luther: The Norse (8-6, 0-1 IIAC), who were picked second in this year's IIAC Preseason Coaches Poll after a 21-8 (6-2 IIAC) finish in 2016, enters the week having dropped four of their last six outings overall, including a tough 3-2 setback against Dubuque in the league opener on September 13.  Junior Anna Larson is currently ranked sixth in all matchs, averaging 2.88 kills/set as Luther is sixth in hitting percentage (.177).  Sophomore Sam Sixta, who dished out nearly 1,000 assists and posted over 300 digs as a freshman last season, dished out 43 helpers in the team's opener with the Spartans.  Emma Veum, a returning all-conference selection from a year ago, is currently turning in 2.53 kills/set to go along with 34 total blocks.  The team begins its play this week by hosting Nebraska Wesleyan on Friday before taking on BVU Saturday afternoon.  The team then hosts Wartburg next Wednesday night.  

About Buena Vista: The Beavers (10-7, 1-1 IIAC) picked momentum back up over the weekend when they posted a 4-0 mark during the IIAC/NACC Crossover.  That followed a tough five-set road loss last Tuesday night at Simpson for the team's first IIAC loss of the year.  BVU ranks among the top-three during league play in nearly every offensive statistical category.  It's second in hitting percentage (.190) with senior Jade Schaap ranked third in kills/set (4.13).  It's also had a strong presence at the net, defensively, sitting second in blocks/set (2.50).  Overall, the team is fourth in kills/set (11.55) and second in service aces/set (2.05).  Summer Goss is sixth in assists (7.89) while Kylie Roe is second in digs/set (5.10).  Jamie Navinskey has been a solid all-around player, sitting 10th in digs (3.32), seventh in aces/set (0.42), while also posting nearly 2.0 kills/set.  The match against Wartburg will mark just the team's second true road contest of the year (Simpson).

Looking Ahead: The Beavers will return to their home court next weekwhere they've had alot of recent succes.  The team will play three home matches, including a pair of IIAC match-ups.  The first, however, is a non-conference tilt on Wednesday, October 4 against Bethany Lutheran College.  The two IIAC contestes are Friday against Loras (7:30pm) and Saturday against Dubuque (3:30pm).