Statesmen Drop Road Match Versus Mount Mercy
Cedar Rapids– The William Penn women’s volleyball team looked to even up the season series against the Mount Mercy Mustangs Sunday.
Unfortunately, the Statesmen attack never really found its footing as the Mustangs claimed victory in four sets (25-22, 20-25, 17-25, 17-25). The loss drops WPU’s record to 12-6 overall and 7-4 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
The first set featured an impressive offensive display from the visitors as they collectively tallied 15 kills, while only committing two errors, good for a hitting percentage of .289. Meanwhile, Mount Mercy hit a respectable .182, but the Statesmen were able to edge out an opening-round victory of 25-22.
The second set saw an improved defensive effort, but unfortunately a diminished attack as well. The navy and gold held the Mustangs to a .148 clip, but their own attacking percentage plummeted to .102 for the set. The Statesmen were still able to play it close, but could not stop MMU from evening up the match.
The Statesmen attack unfortunately diminished even more in the third set as William Penn compiled nine attacking errors compared to only six kills for a mark of -.073 for the set. The Mustangs hitters came alive and hit .205 for the set to go up 2-1.
The fourth set did not prove to be much more fortuitous as the Statesmen attack resulted in a meager .022 mark. The nine attacking errors were too much to overcome as the Mustangs took the fourth and final set.
Peyton Foster (Jr., Graham, Wash., Business Management) led WPU in kills with 14, while Kianna Childers (Sr., Copperas Cove, Texas, Psychology) finished second behind her with 11.
Cameryn Campbell (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Elementary Education) headlined the back row with 29 digs, while Rebekah Eaves (Sr., Farmington, N.M., Elementary Education) and Makaila Winward (Fr., St. Louis Park, Minn., Psychology) finished with 15 and 14, respectively.
Winward worked as the primary setter in the contest, assisting on 30 of the team’s 42 kills, while also earning two service aces, bringing her team-leading total to 43.
“We started off strong, but couldn’t seem to maintain our play,” said Head Coach Aleesha Cleaver. “We have to be consistent night in and night out.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen will travel to Lamoni next Friday for their final conference matchup of the season as they meet the Graceland Yellowjackets.
