DUBUQUE, Iowa - The University of Dubuque women's volleyball team cruised through Day 1 of the Loras Invitational on Friday, collecting a pair of 3-0 sweeps over UW-River Falls (25-9, 25-17, 25-17) and St. Olaf College (25-18, 25-15, 25-21).

The #23 Spartans were firing on all cylinders immediately as the 3:00 p.m. match began, leading 15-5 after twenty points. UD never relented during the first set, taking it 25-9. The Falcons clawed back in the second set with the Spartans holding a slim lead for the first half of the set. With a 12-10 advantage, the Spartans scored seven consecutive points to blow the set open and take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Falcons rallied to an early 8-2 lead in the third set. The Spartans struck again, winning the next seven points and 12-13. Strong defense held the Falcons at bay as the Spartans ran away with a 25-17 win to secure the sweep.

The Oles, fresh off a victory over UW-River Falls in the 5:00 p.m. game, rode their momentum and held pace with a white-hot Spartans offense for much of the first set. Two kills by Payton Uptagraft and two service aces by Delainey Winkel powered the Spartans to a seven-point run which captured the first set 25-18. The Spartans continued to outpace the Oles in all facets of the match in the second set, with the Spartans leading wire-to-wire. The third set was by far the most exciting of the day, with both teams trading runs and momentum swings. With the set tied at 21-21, Halee Clare notched two kills in the final four points to send the Spartan faithful home happy with another 3-0 win and improved to 11-0 overall.

In the weekend opener against the Falcons, the Spartans shared the love on offense, with five players tallying five kills or more. Taylor Bechen led the Spartans with 17 digs and Alexis Kammerer led the Spartans with 19 assists. Ashlyn McGinnis contributed seven assists along with three service aces. Caitlin Jensen added seven kills to her season total for a hitting percentage of .462. The Spartans defense held UW-River Falls to just a .074 hitting percentage, while the Spartans hit .250 on the Falcons defense.

Ashley Glennon and Clare had nights to remember against the Oles. Glennon tallied eleven kills to just three errors for a .381 hitting percentage in addition to recording two block assists and leading the Spartans with 16 digs. Clare had a career-high nine kills for a .471 hitting percentage. Winkel led the Spartans with 12 kills on the evening in addition to scoring three service aces. Kammerer and McGinnis led the Spartans with 20 assists each.

The #23 Spartans look to tie their best start (12-0) since 2017 in a 2:00 p.m. against Saint Mary's University (Minn.). The Cardinals matched up to a pair of A-R-C foes on Friday night and lost to Wartburg College (3-1) and beat Loras College 3-2. The Cardinals will play UW-River Falls at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday in day two of the 2025 Loras Invitational before ending the afternoon vs. UD.