Lepper, Jaquez Highlight Successful Opening Weekend
Alicia Jaquez started her senior year with some big efforts.
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s volleyball team hosted the second annual Wendy’s Labor Day Classic this weekend in the Penn Activity Center.
Seven schools joined in on the action this weekend as the Statesmen opened up their season.
The team began the year on a strong note, finishing the tournament with a 3-1 record. The ladies opened up by beating Cottey in straight sets (25-11, 25-11, 25-15) before beating Avila in four sets (22-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-19) to close out the action on Saturday. Sunday started off with a step back with the Statesmen falling to Briar Cliff in four sets (25-23, 24-26, 20-25, 12-25), but rallied to defeat Mount Marty in four sets (20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-17) to cap off the weekend.
WPU 3, CC 0
The opening match of the 2020 season was a success as Cottey could not seem to find an answer for WPU’s big hitters on either side.
Alicia Jaquez (Sr., Farmington, N.M.) led the charge with eight kills and a hitting percentage of .571, while Kianna Childers (Sr., Copperas Cove, Texas) and Asarar Gony (Sr., Omaha, Neb.) had seven and six kills, respectively.
Annalise Whitcomb (Sr., Humboldt, Kan.) and Macy Bailey (So., Bondurant, Iowa) operated as the primary setters in the matchup, totaling 12 and 11 assists, respectively.
The Statesmen outhit the Comets .237 to -.136 in the contest.
WPU 3, AU 1
After dropping the opening set against the Eagles, the Statesmen came roaring back with victories in three straight sets to improve to 2-0 on the year.
Corrin Lepper (Jr., Jefferson City, Mo.) and Peyton Foster (Jr., Graham, Wash.) both had 15 kills against Avila as the ladies followed a first-set loss with three very convincing wins.
Jaquez added eight more kills, while Alyssa Young (So., Winter Springs, Fla.) contributed eight kills along with four blocks.
Whitcomb and Mikaila Winward (Fr., St. Louis Park, Minn.) split the setting duties evenly, with Whitcomb assisting on 28 points and Winward earning 20 assists.
Cameryn Campbell (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo.) had 24 digs on the defensive side, while Whitcomb added 10 of her own.
BCU 3, WPU 1
The crew took its first loss of the season in the opening game on Sunday, falling to Briar Cliff, who would go on to a 4-0 record in the tournament.
Lepper had another strong attacking performance, finishing with a team-high 16 kills. Jaquez had seven kills, while Foster and Young each contributed six in the losing effort.
Whitcomb (25 assists) and Winward (12 assists) once again split setting duties.
After finishing with a hitting percentage above .200 in each of the first two bouts, the Statesmen took a step backward in that department against the Chargers, hitting a meager .096 as a team.
WPU 3, MMU 1
The navy and gold faced their first real adversity of the season in Sunday’s matchup after cruising to two victories on Saturday, and a 3-0 Mount Marty team seemed to offer no reprieve going into the finale of the tournament.
After splitting the first two sets, the ladies stormed back with two straight victories to cap off an impressive 3-1 showing in their first action of the fall.
The offensive charge was led by a familiar group of names. Jaquez guided the way with 11 kills, and Childers joined her in the double digits with 10. Lepper contributed nine winners and Foster had eight of her own.
Winward took over primary setting work, assisting in 38 of the 43 team kills against the Lancers.
Lepper also led the defensive effort, totaling seven of 20 blocks recorded by the ladies. Campbell once again topped William Penn with 22 digs, with Winward and Tori Martin (Fr., Jefferson City, Mo) each totaling nine.
What’s Next: The team begins conference play on Friday at Evangel. This will be Evangel’s first match of the year after a strong 2019 saw them finish 23-10 overall.
