CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The stage is set for the 2022 American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Volleyball Tournament semifinal round. The matchups will take place in Cedar Rapids and Waverly on Thursday, November 3^rd at 7:00 p.m. The winners of this round will meet at the higher seed for the A-R-C Tournament Championship match on Saturday, November 5^th with the conference’s automatic qualifying berth to the 2022 NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament on the line.
 
No. 4-seed University of Dubuque Spartans (10-17, 4-4 A-R-C) is set to head to Cedar Rapids to take on the No. 1-seed and nationally ranked No. 21 Coe College Kohawks (25-5, 8-0 A-R-C). The Spartans advance to the semifinals after a three-set victory over the No. 5-seed Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves (19-10, 4-4 A-R-C). Set one went back and forth between the two teams until UD went on a five-point run to bring the score to 16-12. The Spartans commanded their way to the end, winning 25-18. The Spartans continued to have control of the match winning sets two and three handily (25-16, 25-17). Three Spartans recorded double-digit kills, Emma Powell (11), Darby Hawtrey (10), and Alexis Bedier (10). Powell and Ashlee Adler led the team with 13 digs apiece, followed by Katie Wright with 12 to help UD advance.
 
The Kohawks will be playing in their first conference tournament game after receiving a first-round bye after an undefeated conference season. Coe is looking to get back to the championship match for the second-straight year. Dubuque and Coe met last Wednesday for the final regular season contest with the Kohawks securing the 3-0 victory (25-22, 25-19, 25-12). Grace Lueken of Coe and Powell of the Spartans recorded nine kills each. Ella Koloc took charge of the defense for Coe, recording 17 digs. The Kohawks have won six of their last eight match ups since 2015.
 
A win for Coe will give them eight in a row and earn them a spot in the 2022 American Rivers Conference Volleyball Tournament championship match. On the other hand, Dubuque is looking to enter the championship match for the first-time since 2019 when they earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 3-1 victory over Wartburg.
 
The No. 3-seed Buena Vista University Beavers (12-11, 5-3 A-R-C) will take on the No. 2-seed Wartburg College Knights (15-10, 7-1 A-R-C). The Beavers advance to the semifinals after a 3-0 sweep over No. 6-seed Simpson College Storm (13-12, 4-4 A-R-C) this evening in Storm Lake, Iowa. The Beavers dominated the Storm with a quick 7-1 lead to start set one. The Storm came back to lead 21-18 before the Beavers held on for a 25-23 victory. Set two brought some excitement with Buena Vista coming out on top 25-22. The Beavers commanded their way to the semifinals of the A-R-C Volleyball Tournament with a 25-12 set three victory. Buena Vista was led by Molly McCauley, Rachel Brockney, and Courtney Johnson who tallied eight, seven, and seven kills, respectively. Taylor Wedemeyer led the Beavers with 27 assists in the three-set match. Leading the Beavers defense was senior, Hannah Smith, with 16 digs.
 
The Knights will be playing their first conference tournament game after receiving a first-round bye after finishing second in regular season conference play with a 7-1 record. Wartburg is looking to get back to the championship match for the sixth-straight year. Buena Vista and Wartburg met back on September 14^th in Waverly, Iowa with the Knights coming out on top 3-1. Wartburg’s offense was led by Emerson Kracht and Allison Feigenbaum with 14 kills apiece. Setter, Sophie Sedgwick recorded 36 assists in the four-set match. Leading the defense was Caroline Kluesner recording 26 digs.
 
A win for Wartburg will earn them a spot in the conference tournament championship match for the sixth-straight year. The Beavers are looking to make it to their first conference tournament championship match since 2017.