University of Dubuque tops Central College, 3-0

Then-No. 17 University of Dubuque swept Central (IA) 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 27-25) on October 9, 2026, at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium in Pella, Iowa, to open American Rivers Conference play.

Dubuque's attack efficiency told the story: the Spartans hit .320 as a team compared to .179 for Central, a gap that was most pronounced in Set 1, where Dubuque posted a .483 clip against Central's .097. The Spartans also held a 7-3 advantage in service aces, a margin that proved pivotal down the stretch. Central out-blocked Dubuque 8-4, but the Spartan attack volume — 103 attempts to 112 — stayed efficient enough to overcome it.

Delainey Winkel led all players with 19 kills on a .457 hitting percentage and added 7 digs to anchor the Dubuque offense. Halee Clare contributed 8 kills at a team-best .538 clip, while setter Alexis Kammerer orchestrated the attack with 32 assists and 7 digs. For Central, Rachel Bowers (11 kills) and Maelyn Wainwright (10 kills) kept the Dutch competitive, particularly in a tightly contested third set.

Set 3 required extra points, with the match knotted at 25-25 before Chloe Reiser delivered back-to-back service aces to close out the 27-25 win.

The victory moves Dubuque to 17-4 overall and 1-0 in American Rivers Conference play.

Box score: https://udspartans.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2026/central-college/boxscore/3805