Box Score

WAVERLY, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – The Duhawks returned to conference play on Tuesday with a match up against the Wartburg Knights. Seeking their first Iowa Conference win of the 2014 season, Loras came out of the gates strong, taking the first set, 25-14. From that point on the Duhawks attack was inconsistent, as Loras dropped the next three sets, and the match 3-1.

Loras stepped on the court in set one, looking to spoil Wartburg's home opener. After falling behind early, the Duhawks worked their way back into the set. A hard hit from junior Taylor Serrano provided Loras with a much needed spark, trailing 8-7. The big swing from Serrano caused on out of system free ball from the Knights which led to a kill by junior Christina Angeli.

That play proved to be pivotal as the Duhawks used a 10-2 run to put them ahead, 18-13. From there, the Duhawks closed out the set with all the momentum, taking it 25-14.
Unfortunately for Loras, the Knights returned to the court with vengeance as the Duhawks attack sputtered. After hitting a match-best, .520, the Duhawks managed just five kills while hitting -0.069. Unable to get things going on the attack, the Knights took set two, 25-16.

In the third, Wartburg jumped out to a 10-1 lead. The Duhawks clawed their way back into but, it was too little too late as they fell, 25-21.
Unable to carry over the momentum that had started to build to the fourth set, the Duhawks fell behind once again. Another late rally fell short, as Loras could not overcome their .073 hitting percentage, allowing the Knights to take the fourth, 25-17.   

The loss drops the Duhawks to 6-10 on the season and winless in conference play (0-2).

Match Changer
The second set seemed to be the determining factor for the match. After taking the first rather convincingly, the Knights swiped the second and all the momentum.

Key Stat
Opening the match with a stellar attack, hitting .520 in the first, the Duhawks fell silent for the remainder of the match.

Notables
Taylor Serrano had one of her best performances of the season, boasting a .444 hitting percentage and recording three blocks.

The Duhawks struggles against the Knights continue, falling for to the conference foe for the sixth straight time.

For the first time this season, junior Kara Kentner was held to a hitting percentage below .100 (0.038).
 
Quotable
Head Coach Jenna Ness
"We were a rollercoaster tonight. We won the first set because we kept them out of system and made it easier on our defense. In the next three sets, they were able to get leads and play more aggressively, making it harder for us to stay in system."

Next Up
After taking a few days to refocus, the Duhawks will take part in the IACC-NACC Crossover Challenge. The tournament will take place at Loras in the Athletic & Wellness Center. Loras opens the tournament on Friday with matches against Benedictine (1 pm) and Lakeland (5pm). On Saturday, the Duhawks face Edgewood (9 am) and Dominican (1 pm).