DUBUQUE, Iowa – The University of Dubuque volleyball team (#4 seed) started their journey in the first round of the American Rivers Conference tournament tonight as they hosted the #5 seed Central College Dutch inside a loud Stoltz Sports Center. The Spartan faithful was on hand to watch a dominating performance by the Spartans as they swept the Dutch 3-0 to advance.

The Spartans could not have asked for a better start to the match as they would jump out to a quick 5-0 lead over the Dutch. The Spartans expanded their lead to 13-5 to force the Dutch into a timeout. The Spartans won the set in dominating fashion 25-13 to take a 1-0 lead. Set two would be a back-and-forth battle until the Spartans would start to separate themselves to gain a 14-7 lead forcing a Dutch to call a timeout. The Spartans controlled the entire set to win 25-16 to take a 2-0 lead. With their backs against the wall, the Dutch would battle the Spartans in the third set, but in the end the Spartans prevailed to win the set 25-17 and sweep the Dutch 3-0.

The Spartans were led tonight by Julie May who had 15 kills. Emma Powell had 13 and Darby Hawtrey added 12. Kate Messino led the way with 41 assists. The Spartans hit exceptionally well tonight at .325 in the win.

The Spartans advance to the A-R-C semifinals where they will take on the undefeated and #1 seeded Wartburg College Knights in Waverly, Iowa on Friday, November 5 at 7:00 p.m. The Spartans are no strangers to the Knights as they have beaten them in the A-R-C tournament the last two times they have faced one another in Waverly. The Spartans will be looking for the upset bid yet again.