CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Nebraska Wesleyan had their season come to an end on Friday afternoon (Nov. 4) as Central College defeated the Prairie Wolves, 3-1, in the opening round of the IIAC Postseason Volleyball Tournament at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
 
The 5^th-seeded Dutch defeated the 4^th-seeded Prairie Wolves in scores of 28-26, 25-18, 24-26, 25-22.  NWU finishes the year with a 15-14 overall record.
 
Things looked good for the Prairie Wolves in the first set of the tournament.  NWU led 17-8 early and held a 22-15 advantage needing just three more points for the win. However, the Dutch went on a 9-2 run to tie the score at 24-24.  Karrie Sestak recorded a kill to give NWU match point, but Central answered with three straight kills to win the set 26-24.
 
NWU also got out to a lead in the second set, with a 10-5 advantage early.  Central then scored six straight points to a take a 11-10 lead.  The Prairie Wolves final lead was 14-12 before the Dutch went on a run and earned the 25-18 victory.
 
Set three was back and forth until the end as the set was tied 23-23.  A kill by Hannah Bellinghausen gave the Prairie Wolves a 24-23 lead and set point.  Central answered with a kill to make the score 24-24.  Malory Dahl put NWU ahead by one point, then an error by the Dutch made the final score 26-24 to give NWU their first set victory.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan also had an advantage in the fourth set with a 15-12 lead.  Central scored three straight to tie it up at 15-15, but NWU got back ahead 21-19.  The Dutch scored five straight points to lead 24-21 and sealed the 25-22 win.
 
Malory Dahl and Kierra Harder both had 15 kills to lead the Prairie Wolves.  NWU finished the game with 50 total kills and a .134 hitting percentage.  Central was led by Jenna Dille who had 16 kills.
 
IIAC Freshman of the Year Taylor Crandall had a match-high 48 assists with eight digs.  Kennedy Hegert had 17 digs, while Sid Mell and Malory Dahl each had 16 digs.