Statesmen Bounce Back Over Missouri Valley

Marshall, Mo.–The William Penn women’s volleyball team bounced back on Saturday with a four set victory over the Missouri Valley Vikings.

The Statesmen, who won in sets of 21-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-17, improve to 12-9 overall and 5-6 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

The Vikings jumped on the Statesmen early, taking a big 10-4 lead to open up the contest. The navy and gold were unable to battle back, trading points with the hosts for the duration of the set. A final late comeback attempt fell short as Missouri Valley took the opening set 25-21.

The second set was the epitome of a back and forth affair. After Annalise Whitcomb (Sr., Humboldt, Kan., General Accounting) got the set rolling with two consecutive aces, the two teams played to 15 different ties in the set, with neither team ever able to create separation. Finally, the Statesmen were able to break away, finishing the set with four points in a row at the very end for a 25-22 win.

The navy and gold created their separation early in the third set, taking a commanding 14-5 lead. The Vikings weren’t done yet, stringing together six points in a row to cut the lead to 14-11. The Statesmen went on another run, as Alicia Jaquez (Sr., Farmington, N.M., Biology) and Corrin Lepper (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Exercise Science) each killed home three points to help WPU to a 25-17 win.

Alyvia Johnson (Fr., Owatonna, Minn., Elementary Education) killed home the opening point of the fourth set, but the hosts took the next four points, putting the Statesmen in an early hole. After extending the lead to 8-4, the navy and gold took full control. William Penn ripped off eight points in a row, with Johnson involved for three kills and a block during that span. Another five point run ensued, with Alyssa Young (Jr., Winter Springs, Fla., Biology) and Tori Combs (Jr., Cloverdale, Ind., Psychology) doing all the heavy lifting. Combs and Young had two kills each during that five point run, with the fifth point coming from the two combining for a block. The navy and gold continued the momentum through the finish, with Combs slamming home the finisher to end the match with another 25-17 victory.

Johnson led the team with 13 kills in what was a very balanced offensive attack. Lepper was second on the team with nine, while Young tallied eight. Combs had seven finishers on the night, and Morgan Sanders (Fr., Lee’s, Summit, Mo., Biology) mixed in for six.

Whitcomb earned the start and earned 17 assists in the contest, but Macy Bailey (Jr., Bondurant, Iowa, Sports Management) paced the squad with 19. Both setters had three service aces in the match.

Johnson and Rebekah Eaves (Sr., Farmington, N.M., Biology) tied for the team lead with 11 digs. Bailey and Caidince Cleveland (Fr., Bettendorf, Iowa, General Accounting) finished with nine each.

“I was proud of the bounce-back and fight our girls showed today,” said Head Coach Aleesha Cleaver. “We got better each set and really started to click in the fourth set. We need this confidence and momentum going into Tuesday.”

What’s Next: The Statesmen have a big rivalry game on Tuesday as the #24 Grand View Vikings will come into the PAC for a Heart showdown. First serve is scheduled for 7 PM.

Posted by on Oct 10 2021. Filed under College Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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