WPU Falls in Five-Set Home Opener to Simpson
William Penn Volleyball dropped its home-opener to Simpson 3-2 Monday night.
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen volleyball team had Simpson against the ropes in Monday’s home opener, but could not shut the door in losing 3-2 in non-conference play.
William Penn (2-8) lost by scores of 22-25, 27-25, 25-21, 20-25, 8-15. The hosts were outhit .204-.181.
WPU was knotted with the Storm (4-2) at 22-22 in the first set, but could not finish off the opener. In another tight set, the sides were never separated by more than five points in the second go-round. The Statesmen did their best hitting in the second set with a .298 mark and then stepped up defensively in the third set to limit Simpson to just .065.
Up two sets-to-one, the hosts were in the driver’s seat but no one informed the visitors of that fact. The Storm turned the tables on WPU in the fourth set with a .194-.071 edge in hittingm and after trailing 14-9, they scored 16 of the final 22 points.
The fifth and decisive set was fairly anticlimactic as Simpson took the early lead and never looked back.
Kylie Giger (Jr., Elkhart, Ind., Exercise Science) and Kayce Skocko (Jr., Watsonville, Calif., Business Management) headed the navy and gold’s offensive attack with 15 kills each. Skocko was also the best overall striker with a .361 hitting clip, committing only two errors in 36 tries.
Shawni Wills (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) joined the double-digit club with 11 winners, while Erika Getz (Jr., Parsons, Kan., Physical Education) had eight and Ana Gutch (Sr., Eddyville, Iowa, Secondary Education) tallied six.
Leyra Jusino (Jr., Bayamon, P.R., General Biology) managed to assist on 51 of the 58 Statesmen offensive points. She also served up two aces.
Danielle Breeher (Jr., St. Louis, Mo., Undecided) was one of five players in double digits in digs with a team-best 19, while Getz had a part in four blocks (two solos, two assists). Giger, with 16 digs, and Skocko, with 13 of her own, recorded double-doubles on Monday.
“We hit the best we have so far this season and our passing and defense were solid as well,” Head Coach Jennifer Carlson said. “The few hiccups we had we bounced back well from. We just did not capitalize when needed.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Storm Lake Tuesday to face Buena Vista at 7 p.m. in non-conference play.
