DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Following their victory over Buena Vista in five sets in the IIAC Semifinal match, the women's volleyball will travel to Waverly, Iowa on Saturday to take on the number one seed Wartburg. This marks the first time since 2010 that the Duhawks have advanced to the conference championship game where an automatic NCAA Tournament bid will be on the line.

REGULAR SEASON MATCH-UP
Coming off a split at the Cornell Triangular the week before, Loras hosted Wartburg inside the Athletic & Wellness Center back on Sept. 22. The Duhawks found themselves down 2-1 in the match before rallying to win the fourth set, 25-23, and carried that momentum into the fifth set to win the match, 3-2. Freshman Claire Ritchie finished with 16 kills, 22 assists and 13 digs.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
LORAS | The Duhawks come in at 22-12 while riding a three-match winning streak. With a 5-2 record in the IIAC, the Duhawks earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, earning a first-round bye in the tournament. In the semifinals the Duhawks hosted No. 3-seeded Buena Vista in what was an entertaining game from start to finish. The Duhawks prevailed in five sets with great play by Ritchie and juniors Therese Schultz, Danni Kennedy and sophomore Haley Bergan.

WARTBURG | The Knights come in at 29-5 and winners of their previous four games. With a 6-1 record in the IIAC in 2015 the Knights earned the number one overall seed and home court advantage throughout the conference tournament. The only squad to defeat Wartburg in the IIAC was Loras, a five-set thriller back in September. In the semifinal, the Knights swept the No. 3 seed, Coe.

STATISTICAL LEADERS - OFFENSE
LORAS | On offense, the Duhawks have multiple options and threats that they have proven to be successful with on any given night. Against Buena Vista, Loras utilized both facets of their offense, with the middles combining for 26 kills and the outsides adding 38 kills. Look for a similar approach tonight as the Duhawks' success will rely on their ability to be versatile with their approach.

WARTBURG | The Knights are lead by senior outside hitter Krystal Graves who has 342 kills on the season along with a hitting percentage of .294. Along with the great middle play of Graves, the Knights are also led by junior outside hitter Claire Willenbring, who has 289 kills and a hitting percentage of .182.

STATISTICAL LEADERS - DEFENSE
LORAS | Sophomore Haley Bergan has had a season to remember for the Duhawks thanks largely in part to her uncanny ability to read and react to both aggressive serving and powerful attacking from opposing teams. Coming into Saturday's match, Bergan has recorded 640 digs with an average of 5.38 digs per set. Junior Danni Kennedy has also been an asset on the defensive side of the ball as well, posting 116 total blocks, which ranks second in the IIAC.

WARTBURG | Senior Jamie Farley comes into the championship match third in the IIAC with 619 digs on the season only trailing Loras' Haley Bergan in the conference. Senior Kaity Brouwer has also been a force up the middle for the Knights registering 102 total blocks this season.