WVB: American Rivers Conference

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Final:  #12 Coe over #15 Loras in 4 sets:
           (25-22, 26-28, 25-14, 25-22)

Coe:  10 Service aces -- Tidman  .327 hitting pct.

With Wartburg winning over Simpson in 3 sets earlier today, Wartburg leapfrogs Loras to take over 2nd place.
     Coe has played 2 fewer in-conference matches than Wartburg.

The Kohawks have finished play.

Wartburg's remaining schedule:  @ Luther, vs. Loras, @ NE Wesleyan.

   

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#23 Loras vs. ARV Wartburg:

"The Numbers":

Team Hitting Pct.               Opponent Hitting Pct.     Service Aces:             Opponent Service Aces:

Wartburg   .255  (1st)                     Wartburg    .130  (1st)           Wartburg 1.81/set  (2nd)          Wartburg  0.58/set (1st)
Loras        .214  (2nd                      Loras          .147  (3rd)          Loras       1.68.set  (4th)            Loras      1.45/set (4th)
*(Coe          .211  (3rd)                  (Coe           .133  (2nd)          (Coe      2.22/set  (1st)*          (Coe        1.04/set (2nd)*

*- Coe is at least a co-champ-Kohawk team stats included just for comparison--
Individual Players:

Loras' Alberto  .378 hitting pct.  (2nd)     
Wartburg  Quirk  .351 hitting pct.  (3rd)

3 other players in tonight's match are also in the top 7 in conference ind. hitting pct.

Wartburg needs a win to have a chance to tie Coe at the top of the standings.
Loras would like to stay in the Top 25 with a win--

"Somethin's Gotta Give"

This is the last match between two ARC teams in the D3 poll this season.

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Final:  ARV Wartburg over #23 Loras in 3 sets.
              (25-13, 25-12, 25-14).

Wartburg:  Quirk's strong play continues  ( .591 hitting pct for match)
                 Bildstein - .571 hitting pct.

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NE Wesleyan, at home, has taken ARV Wartburg to a 5th set:

Is there an upset in the making?

Developing. . .

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Final:  ARV: Wartburg over NE Wesleyan in 5 sets.
              (26-28, 25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 15-7)

Wartburg:  .211 hitting pct. in 5th set to take the match.
                 Sybesma and Bildstein .385 and .359 hitting pcts, respectively.
                 Quirk (who else) got the match-clinching point for the Knights.

NE Wesleyan:  Gallery  .400 hitting pct. Klein .333 hitting pct.
                      It was Senior Day for the Prairie Wolf squad and it darn near pulled off an upset.

Coe clinched its' first top spot since 2012. The Wartburg Knights knew what they had to do to get the top-of the conference tie with the Kohawk squad, and Wartburg got it done.

The end of a wild ARC Volleyball conference season.

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ARC WVB Fall 2021 Pre-Season Poll is now up:

https://rollrivers.com/news/2021/8/13/volleyball-chosen-as-favorite-in-a-r-c-preseason-coaches-poll.aspx

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Joining THE regular season match of the ARC (Coe vs.#5 Wartburg) in progress. Winner takes the top spot.

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Final;  #5 Wartburg holds off Coe on the road in 5 sets:
                      (25-18, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 17-15)

Knights:  Went on a 7-2 scoring run to close the match out.
                        Outhit Kohawks .071 to .029

Kohawks;  10 service aces.

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#5 Wartburg vs Simpson just underway:

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Final:  #5 Wartburg over Simpson in 3 sets:
                     (25-15, 25-10, 25-19)
Knights:  Went on a 7-1 scoring run to end the match.
                 (Outhit Simpson .267 to .075 for match)
Simpson:  Paxton .316 hitting pct.
Wartburg clinches the #1 seed for the ARC Tournament. (Coe can still tie them, but Wartburg won the head-to -head match.)

2nd final:  Loras over NE Wesleyan in 3 sets:
                    (25-23, 25-15, 25-22)
Loras:     13 service aces
NE Wes:  Thomas 12 spikes for points .312 hitting pct.

3rd final:  Coe over Central-IA in 3 sets:
                  (25-20, 26-24, 25-10)
Coe:  Teeple 32 assists, Kohawks also had 10 service aces
Central-IAl:  Luhring 20 digs.

With those results, the 2 leaders get some more distance from the rest of the pack.

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American Rivers Conference Tournament Race Update:

#5 Wartburg and Coe, as expected, are the Top 2 in for the conference tournament.
Loras, Simpson, Central-IA and Dubuque also are in.

Underdog squad to watch:  Simpson (which was picked to finish 8th in the Pre-Season Poll)

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Finals:  #4 Dubuque over #5 Central-IA in 3 sets.

            #3 Loras over  #6 Simpson in 5 sets:
                  (20-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19,15-12)

               Loras:  Outhit Simpson .148 to .115 to advance

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Final:  Coe over Loras in 3 sets:
            (25-12, 25-21, 25-22)

Coe:  Outhit Loras .313 to .160 to advance to the ARC Final.

Kohawks await Dubuque/Wartburg winner.

UPDATE:  #4 Wartburg over Dubuque in 3 sets.

It'll be #4 Wartburg vs. Coe for the Amer. Rivers Conference AQ.

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It was Coe vs. Wartburg in the final:

(Intro to ELO's "Showdown" playing. . .)

Check out these set scores:
Wartburg came back at home from 2 sets down to stun Coe and take the ARC AQ:

(23-25, 29-31, 25-18, 25-23, 15-8!)

Knights outhit Coe .185 to .037 in Set 5 to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

I can just see the Wartburg highlight film playing with Bob Seger's Live Album transition solo between "Travelin' Man" and "You Just Don't Need It All" going on in the background.

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Pre-Season ARC Women's Volleyball Poll is now up:
        (exact link too long to post here)

1) Coe                                   62 points
2) Wartburg                           54 
3) Dubuque                            46
4) Loras                                 43
5) Simpson                            36
6) Central-IA                          31
7) NE Wesleyan                       29
8) Buena Vista                        15
9) Luther-IA                             8