Statesmen Fall on Opening Night to Owls
The William Penn women’s volleyball team was buoyed by an energized crowd in its season opener, but it was not enough to overcome playing short-handed as it fell 3-1 to William Woods in non-conference action Tuesday.
WPU (0-1), which lost by scores of 25-21, 22-25, 12-25, 22-25, was outhit .117-.051 in a defensive match that saw the home squad post a 13-10 edge in blocks.
The navy and gold struggled early, trailing 4-0, but they quickly found their footing and courtesy of a .175-.121 attack advantage, they took the opening set.
William Penn pulled out to a 6-3 edge in the second round, but could not hold off the Owls (3-0) as the visitors evened the match at 1-1. WWU carried its momentum into the third set to claim a 2-1 edge.
The Owls continued to roll and appeared to have the fourth set and the match in hand with a 20-12 advantage. With their backs to the wall, the Statesmen fortunately caught fire and recorded four consecutive points to put a scare into their opponents. A William Woods timeout did little to slow the home team as it scored five more and knotted the fourth set at 20-20.
WPU tacked on another point and eventually went up 22-21 as part of a 10-1 run. Unfortunately, the visitors regrouped and closed the evening with four unanswered points to cap the win.
With outside hitters Alyvia Johnson (Jr., Owatonna, Minn., Elementary Education) and Katlyn Jeter (Jr., Solon, Iowa, Business Management) unavailable due to injury, the Statesmen depth took quite a hit.
Andressa Borges (Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sports Management), who hit a team-best .200, and Riley Hungate (So., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) tried to fill the void with 12 kills apiece. Alyssa Young (Sr., Winter Springs, Fla., Exercise Science) narrowly missed double digits with nine winners as well.
William Penn employed two setters with Chyanne Bradford (So., Rowlett, Texas, Education) and her 18 assists edging out Mia Brady (So., Pontiac, Ill., Exercise Science) and her 15 helpers. Bradford recorded a double-double by also producing 10 digs Tuesday.
Jade Melton (Sr., Hallsville, Mo., Psychology) was most effective at the service line with two aces, while also notched 15 digs. Kaya Caprini (So., Minneapolis, Minn., Undecided) was the leader of the backrow as she collected 18 digs.
As aforementioned, though, the defensive net was where much of the match was played. Young topped WPU with seven block assists, while Keegan Buller (So., Rowlett, Texas, Psychology) ended up with six block assists. Hungate and Delaney Morrow (Jr., Moore, Okla., Business Management) each tacked on four block assists as well.
“It is always tough to lose, but we are treating this one as a lesson to learn from,” Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said. “We had some really great moments, but unfortunately were not able to execute at the right times to help us finish. I am proud of the fight we showed to get back in the fourth set.”
“A huge shoutout to our crowd for being the best; it was electric in the PAC!” Eldridge added. “Hopefully, we can get back to a full and healthy squad for this weekend as we head into a very competitive tournament.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Columbia, Mo. Friday and Saturday for the Columbia Hampton Inn Classic. On Friday, WPU faces John Brown at 12 p.m. and Ottawa (Kan.) at 6 p.m., while on Saturday, the Statesmen meet Dakota Wesleyan at 9 a.m. and Xavier (La.) at 11 a.m. All four of the Statesmen’s opponents are either ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA’s preseason poll.
