Statesmen Post 1-3 Record at Saint Xavier Tourney
William Penn Women’s Athletics
Chicago, Ill.–The William Penn volleyball team was slowed by solid competition as it participated in the Saint Xavier Tournament Friday and Saturday.
The Statesmen (2-6) opened the weekend with a 3-0 Friday loss to host Saint Xavier (7-25, 16-25, 19-25) and were then swept later that night 3-0 by Siena Heights (Mich.) (15-25, 21-25, 18-25). On Saturday, WPU lost 3-0 to Roosevelt (Ill.) (16-25, 17-25, 17-25) before responding with a 3-0 sweep of its own against Spring Arbor (Mich.) (25-16, 29-27, 25-18).
Saint Xavier 3, WPU 0–Outhit .341-.012, the navy and gold were led by Kylie Giger (Jr., Elkhart, Ind., Exercise Science) with eight kills. Emily McHugh (Jr., Plainfield, Ill., Pre-Law & Psychology) assisted 16 times, while Shawni Wills (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) added five kills and six digs.
Siena Heights 3, WPU 0–Giger upped her kills total to 14 against Siena Heights in addition to a .333 attack clip, while Kayce Skocko (Jr., Watsonville, Calif., Business Management) contributed eight winners.
McHugh’s 29 assists were a squad high, while Giger and Danielle Breeher (Jr., St. Louis, Mo., Undecided) both dug up 11 shots. The Statesmen lost the hitting battle, .355-.160.
Roosevelt 3, WPU 0–For the third match in a row, Giger was the offensive leader (nine kills), while Erika Getz (Jr., Parsons, Kan., Physical Education) posted a seven-kill showing.
Leyra Jusino (Jr., Bayamon, P.R., General Biology) finished with 23 assists and Giger also had 15 digs. McHugh and Jusino each tallied two aces. Ana Gutch (Sr., Eddyville, Iowa, Secondary Education) assisted on two William Penn blocks. A .287-.056 attack advantage went in favor of Roosevelt.
WPU 3, Spring Arbor 0–WPU’s lone weekend win was a big one as it outhit Spring Arbor .319-.183. Giger wrapped up a strong tournament with 12 kills, while Skocko (.588 attack) and Wills joined her in double figures with ten points apiece.
A total of 34 points were assisted by Jusino and Breeher topped the program with 11 digs and two aces.
“We saw some good teams this weekend and it took us longer to adjust to them,” Head Coach Jennifer Carlson said. “We kept working through every point and pulled out a win in the end.”
Next Up–William Penn travels to Omaha, Neb. next Friday to play College of Saint Mary in non-conference action.
