November 5, 2004
Release courtesy of Paul Misner, Univ. of Dubuque sports information director

DUBUQUE, IOWA . . . It was anything, but typical in the opening rounds of the 2004 IIAC Volleyball Tournament hosted by the University of Dubuque on Friday.

Kicking off the tournament was #8 Luther beating #9 Coe by a score of 3-2. In the quarter-finals #5 Simpson swept past #4 Buena Vista 3-1, while #3 Cornell knocked #6 Loras out of the tournament in four games. In the other half of the brackets to wrap up the opening day saw #7 Dubuque drop the #2 Wartburg Knights in a four game set to advance. The win by the Spartans for the second consecutive time this week, marked the end of a two-year reign for the Knights atop the IIAC Tournament.

UD's Michele Barkley (DS/Libero, 5-8, Sr., Arlington Heights, Ill./Wheeling HS) broke the single season dig record for UD in the match. Barkley needed five entering the match and finished with 25, raising the mark to 699 entering Saturday's semi-final match. The old record was set by UD's Sara Gassmann in 1998 with 678. Barkley reached the 2,000 career dig plateau vs. Central College on Oct. 19 and currently has 2178 career digs for the Spartans.

#1 Central marched through the day unscathed ending the tournament run for Luther in three straight games by scores of 30-24, 30-27, 30-12.

Updated records after Day 1 of the 2004 IIAC Tournament:
#1 Seed - Central 8-0 (in IIAC), 26-8 (overall); #2 Seed - Wartburg 5-3, 18-19; #3 Seed - Cornell 5-3, 22-12; #4 Seed - Buena Vista 4-4, 14-16; #5 Seed - Simpson 4-4, 16-18; #6 Seed - Loras 3-5, 8-25; #7 Seed - Dubuque 3-5, 13-21; #8 Seed - Luther 2-6, 13-21; #9 Seed - Coe 2-6, 13-22

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