William Penn Earns 3-1 Record at CCSJ Tourney
William Penn Women's Athletics
Whiting, Ind.–With key starters unable to make the trip to the Hoosier State, the Lady Statesmen volleyball team was fortunate to have several members step up to still produce a successful weekend at the Calumet-St. Joseph Crimson Wave Invitational Friday and Saturday.
William Penn (17-19) opened Friday by rallying to beat Roosevelt (Ill.) 3-2 (22-25, 25-27, 25-19, 25-15, 15-9) before sweeping the host Crimson Wave squad 3-0 (25-10, 25-16, 25-12).
On Saturday, the navy and gold again won in five sets, this time over Concordia (Mich.) (24-26, 25-22, 25-22, 19-25, 15-8), but unfortunately could not stay perfect in the eastern time zone with a 3-1 loss to Michigan-Dearborn (18-25, 16-25, 25-22, 22-25).
Brittany Rohling (Sr., Thayer, Kan., Neosho CC) and Christa Subbert (Sr., Stanton, Stanton HS) were both left back in Oskaloosa to handle student-teaching responsibilities, while Dayna Sammons (Fr., Menomonee Falls, Wis., Menomonee Falls HS) was under the weather and also remained on campus.
Without their services, Head Coach Jeremy Wise was forced to implement several different lineups to get the desired result.
“We played really well without several of our starters on the trip,” Wise said. “We played some individuals that normally do not see much time and had some people playing out of position, but the ladies did a great job adjusting. I am really pleased with our effort and the fact that we nearly pulled out a perfect weekend under such difficult circumstances.”
William Penn 3, Roosevelt 2
Lacey Taylor (Jr., Cedar, Iowa Western CC) guided the offense by tallying 13 kills in the opener, while all-tournament selection Katie Rielly (Jr., Oskaloosa, Des Moines Area CC) also reached double figures with 11 kills. Jeanette Cunningham (So., Mt. Orab, Ohio, Western Brown HS) added seven winners as well.
Katherine Stumberg (Sr., Williamsburg, Kirkwood CC) assisted 20 times, while Ellen Hartmann (Fr., Orrville, Ohio, Dalton HS) helped out on 15 points in Sammons’ stead. Taylor, with four aces, and Katy Hingtgen (Sr., West Des Moines, Dowling Catholic HS), with three, were forces at the service line.
Jenny Wuertz (Sr., Crystal City, Mo., Crystal City HS) posted 25 digs and Cunningham blocked eight attacks (one solo, seven assists).
William Penn 3, Calumet-St. Joseph 0
Taylor’s 12 kills headlined an offensive attack that netted a .537 attack percentage. The junior’s performance (12 K, 0 E, 15 TA) was so flawless that her .800 kill percentage set a new school single-match record, surpassing the previous mark of .750 by Melinda Kilzer from 2000 (record only kept since 1998).
Hingtgen produced a half dozen kills as well.
Stumberg (18) and Hartmann (13) assisted on 31 of the team’s 40 kills, while Rielly served three aces. Four other players had two aces apiece as the team recorded a season-best 12 total.
Alanna Connors (So., Libertyville, Ill., Libertyville HS) had 21 digs and Cunningham assisted on four blocks.
William Penn 3, Concordia 2
Taylor did not have a letdown on Saturday, pounding 20 kills with a .400 attack percentage. Hingtgen, with nine, and Rielly, with seven, also produced in the five-setter.
Stumberg assisted 26 times and Hartmann did so on 18 occasions, while Hartmann also served up three aces. Wuertz dug 28 attacks and Rielly (three assists) and Cunningham (one solo, two assists) blocked three shots each.
Michigan-Dearborn 3, William Penn 1
Taylor nearly single-handedly led her team to victory with 18 kills, while no other player had more than four points to their credit. Taylor added three aces and also tied Wuertz with 23 digs.
Stumberg (17) and Hartmann (13) combined for 30 assists.
Next: William Penn travels to Mount Pleasant Tuesday to face Iowa Wesleyan in Midwest Collegiate Conference action at 7 p.m.
