PARKVILLE, Mo. — Dakota Wesleyan Volleyball traveled to Missouri to take on the Park Pirates in the opening round of the 2025 NAIA National Championship Tournament.
The Tigers started the contest with the momentum in their favor as the offense got rolling early. Karly VanDerWerff led the way with a career-high 20 kills while contributing five blocks at the net in what was an incredible performance, and, especially later in the match, was a big reason why Dakota Wesleyan was able to hold steady through the contest. Senior middle blocker Emily Dale posted 12 kills while matching VanDerWerff's five blocks and was a major factor in the early portion of the match, especially as the Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 25-19 and 25-22 set wins in the first frames of the contest. DWU's offense was fueled by the reigning GPAC Setter of the Year Kayleigh Hybertson, who posted 48 total assists alongside five digs and three kills, while the defense was led by GPAC Co-Defender of the Year Elizabeth Tyler, who posted 24 digs, and Presly Pastian, who recorded a season-high of 22. The team held steady through their two initial set wins, but the Pirates swung momentum back in their favor down the stretch.
Early scoring runs in the next frames favored Park, unlike the first two, which had helped Dakota Wesleyan gain early momentum. The Tigers were able to battle through the third set, which included an initial 20-11 deficit that was erased by DWU after eight consecutive points, but the Pirates were able to close out the set, 25-22, to bring the match score to 2-1. A handful of Tigers made major contributions down the stretch, including 13 digs from Abigail Zegar, an eight-kill performance from Lily Ranschau, and seven kills from Evy Knoblock, but the Pirates were able to put together another frame win to bring the match score to 2-2 and force a fifth set.
Dakota Wesleyan headed into a fifth set for the fifth time this season, and the previous two sets had favored the hosting Park Pirates, but the Tigers were able to regroup and jump out to a 9-2 lead to swing the momentum quickly back in their favor, forcing two timeouts during the stretch. Park put together a final collection of points, but Dakota Wesleyan was able to hit the 15-point mark to claim the set and match victory, 15-8. The Tigers head back to Sioux City for the first time since 2022 with the win.
DWU Volleyball will compete in pool play as a part of the next portion of the National Championship Tournament against Concordia (Neb.) on Wednesday, December 3rd, and The Master's (Calif.) on Thursday, December 4th. Both contests will take place at 7:30 PM on their respective dates at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. More information will be provided as available here.