Peacocks top Warriors in sweep

By Aaron Schneider

FAYETTE – Upper Iowa University handled the Waldorf University volleyball team in straight sets on Tuesday.

NCAA Division II’s Peacocks (6-3) finished with a 25-16, 25-12, 25-21 sweep over the Warriors (6-9).

Kayla Budgins led Waldorf with eight kills. The 6-foot sophomore middle hitter from Germantown, Wisconsin also recorded three service aces.

Juniors Kaitlyn Monck and Rebecca Bartnicki provided seven kills each for the Warriors. Senior Valerie Rivera and freshman Elisabeth Tramm handed out 15 assists and nine assists, respectively.

Junior Briley Sullivan collected 10 digs and contributed an ace for the Warriors. Monck and Rivera contributed six digs apiece. Bartnicki tallied three block assists and junior Isabelle Rothbauer added two block assists. Waldorf also received block assists from Budgins, senior Brianna Haugen and freshman Angie Gore to record four total blocks.

The Warriors’ offense struggled to get into rhythm, closing out the match with a .038 hitting percentage.

“We struggled early with serve receive and ball control,” Waldorf coach Paul Meyer said. “Even when that improved, our offense didn’t play well.”

The Peacocks didn’t leave any room for error, turning in .247 hitting percentage. Waldorf saw some hope in the third set after scoring seven unanswered points to cut Upper Iowa’s 20-12 lead to a one-point margin. The Peacocks secured the match, outscoring the Warriors 5-2 for the remainder of the set.

“Upper Iowa capitalized on our errors and turned them into big leads that we could not overcome,” Meyer said.

Waldorf competes in four matches in Clarke University Tournament at Dubuque this weekend. On Friday, the Warriors take on Trinity International University (4-8) at 4 p.m. and Judson University (3-10) at 8 p.m. Waldorf rounds out the tournament on Saturday with a 12 p.m. matchup against Calumet College of St. Joseph (1-3) and a 4 p.m. contest against Indiana University South Bend (7-5).

The four upcoming matches mark the final weekend tournament for the Warriors, who are looking to find their rhythm before opening North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) play next week.

“We need to make a fast improvement on our unforced errors in all areas of our game,” Meyer said.