The University of Dubuque women's volleyball team concluded their 2025 non-conference slate with a 3-2 (25-10, 25-21, 14-25, 16-25, 16-14) victory over North Park University on Friday. The #21 Spartans (21-3, 5-0 A-R-C) survived a late comeback bid from the Vikings (18-9, 2-4 CCIW) thanks to a stellar performance from Delainey Winkel.

The first set began with the Spartans jumping out to a 16-2 lead early. Despite a short Vikings run, the Spartans cruised to a 25-10 victory in the first set. The second set was much more competitive, but the Spartans were able to withstand pushes from the Vikings and secured a 25-21 victory to take a 2-0 lead. The Vikings stormed back in the third set and took a 17-6 lead early. The Spartans couldn't recover and dropped the third set 25-14. Rejuvenated from the previous set, the Vikings rode a 7-point run halfway through the fourth set to take a 15-9 lead. The Spartans' comeback bid fell short as North Park took the fourth set 25-16. The fifth set was evenly matched, with both teams playing their best volleyball of the night. The set saw eight ties, with the latest tie at 14. Winkel and Halee Clare both notched kills to close the fifth set 16-14 as the Spartans survived the Vikings' upset bid.

Winkel led the Spartans with 20 kills to go for a .302 hitting percentage. She added three service aces and 16 digs in an all-around stellar performance for the junior outside hitter. Payton Uptagraft tallied ten kills and added three blocking assists to solidify the defensive net. Taylor Bechen once again led the Spartans with 27 digs. Alexis Kammerer notched 28 assists during the match to aid the offensive effort.

Up Next

The #21 Spartans return to conference play with a trip to Indianola on Friday, October 31 to take on Simpson College at 6:00 p.m. Simpson (15-6, 3-2 A-R-C) has defeated Buena Vista, Central, and Nebraska Wesleyan and dropped matches to Coe and Wartburg this season in conference play.