Statesmen Suffer Setback Versus Evangel
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s volleyball team battled hard but fell in straight sets to the Evangel Valor by scores of 25-20, 25-19, 25-19.
The Statesmen fall to 17-11 on the season while their record in the Heart of America Athletic Conference drops to 10-8.
The navy and gold got out the gates roaring with kills by Corrin Lepper (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Exercise Science) and Alyssa Young (Jr., Winter Springs, Fla., Biology), but Evangel quelled the momentum soon after, going on a run to cause a Statesmen timeout with the visitors leading 11-7. The timeout did little to slow the surging Valor, who strung together another seven points in a row to take an 18-7 lead. The Statesmen were resilient, going on a six point run of their own as they brought the score to within four, but it was too little too late as the Valor closed out their first half victory.
The Statesmen tried to take momentum back to begin the second set but could not find much success against the Valor defense. Evangel took an 8-3 lead to force an early William Penn timeout, but then the navy and gold started to click again. Three straight points forced Evangel’s first timeout of the game, and the Statesmen remained aggressive with three more following the break, two by way of ace from Annalise Whitcomb (Sr., Humboldt, Kan., General Accounting). Unfortunately, the visitors fought back, taking the lead for good at 18-17 and closing out the set, earning a 2-0 set advantage.
The navy and gold took an early 7-5 lead, but they could not build on the early momentum. The Valor went on a big run, taking an 18-10 lead. The Statesmen battled back valiantly, trying to string some points together, but Evangel closed out the sweep.
Morgan Sanders (Fr., Lee’s Summit, Mo., Biology) led the team with seven kills. Lepper, Alyvia Johnson (Fr., Owatonna, Minn., Elementary Education), and Cecily Liphardt (Jr., Lincoln, Neb., Psychology and Business Management) all finished tied for second with five each.
Macy Bailey (Jr., Bondurant, Iowa, Business Management) was the starting setter, leading the Statesmen with 15 assists. Whitcomb worked in tandem with her, trailing close behind with 14.
Rebekah Eaves (Sr., Farmington, N.M., Elementary Education) led the defensive effort with 15 digs. Cameryn Campbell (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Elementary Education) complemented her efforts with 13.
What’s Next: The Statesmen conclude their regular season with a matchup against the Graceland Yellowjackets on November 2. First serve is scheduled for 7:30 PM.
