Dubuque rallies past Lakeland in four sets

The University of Dubuque defeated Lakeland University 26-28, 28-26, 25-17, 25-22 on September 18, 2026, at Kohawk Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, taking the match three sets to one after dropping the opener.

Dubuque's attack efficiency told much of the story: the Spartans hit .159 on 170 attempts compared to Lakeland's .079 on 164, a gap that grew particularly pronounced in the second set, where Dubuque posted a .316 clip against Lakeland's .103. The Spartans also held a significant edge at the net, recording nine blocks to Lakeland's five. Lakeland countered with a 9-7 service ace advantage and outheld Dubuque in digs 86-71, keeping multiple sets competitive despite the kill-efficiency deficit.

Delainey Winkel led all players with 17 kills on a .263 clip and added 13 digs for Dubuque, while Caitlin Jensen contributed 11 kills and a match-high seven blocks. On the Lakeland side, Samya Hughes paced the Eagles with 15 kills, and Maleigha Kovalaske added 12 kills and 14 digs. Rylee Esquibel provided a jolt off the service line with four aces for Lakeland. Alexis Kammerer ran the Dubuque offense with 41 assists.

In the fourth set, Dubuque closed on an 8-2 run — capped by back-to-back service aces from Julia Schultz — to put the match away from a 22-22 tie.

The win moves Dubuque to 10-2 on the season, while Lakeland falls to 7-6.

Box score: https://udspartans.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2026/lakeland-university/boxscore/3795