Statesmen Swept by MidAmerica Nazarene in Return to PAC
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s volleyball team hoped to take advantage of being on its home court for the first time in two weeks, but unfortunately it was not enough in falling 3-0 to MidAmerica Nazarene in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Friday.
WPU (11-11, 2-6 Heart), which had not played at home since September 19, fell to the Pioneers (9-6, 5-3 Heart) by scores of 21-25, 23-25, 18-25. The navy and gold were outhit .169-.064.
After slipping into a 3-0 hole, the Statesmen answered with seven of the next 10 points for their lone lead of the first set. Still close at 15-14 in favor of MNU, William Penn allowed its guests to go on a 7-1 run as the visitors took the opening round.
The Statesmen again started slow in the second set, falling behind 6-2. The squad fortunately found its footing and, courtesy of a 6-1 stretch, took a 21-19 edge.
WPU could not hold off the Pioneers, though. With the score tied at 23-23, MidAmerica Nazarene tallied the final two points to put the navy and gold up against the wall at 2-0.
Three separate runs of at least three unanswered points put the Statesmen on top at 15-13 in the third set. Unfortunately, MNU once again was better down the stretch, finishing off the sweep with a 6-1 run.
Led by three from Leah Meyer (Fr., Houston, Texas, Business Management), William Penn owned a 6-4 edge in aces. The home team could not keep pace with the Pioneers at the defensive net, however, falling 10-1 in blocks.
Hailee Pesek (Sr., New Hampton, Iowa, Nursing) guided the offense with nine kills, while Emilie Bojorquez-McFadden (Sr., Surprise, Ariz., Biology) and Maju Vieira (Sr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) both added eight. Emma Skoglund (Fr., Branson, Mo.) managed five winners as well.
Along with her trio of aces, Meyer finished the evening with a double-double of 26 assists and 11 digs, while Pesek matched her in the dig column. Abigail Mitchell (Sr., Oxford, Ala., Nursing), serving as the team’s libero on Friday, guided the back row defenders with 16 digs.
“This was obviously not the result we wanted,” Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said. “It goes back to our inconsistency, top to bottom, on the court and on the bench. We competed at times, and put up a fight, but we need to have a few more hitters turn it on for all sets, not just here and there, while also taking care of our unforced errors. We looked good at times, but just not enough from start to finish.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Saturday, hosting Park in Heart action at 1 p.m.
