Statesmen Down Wildcats for Third Consecutive Victory
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s volleyball team extended their winning streak to three games with a three set win over the Culver-Stockton Wildcats.
The Statesmen, who won by scores of 25-10, 25-13, 25-18, now have a winning record in the Heart of America Athletic Conference at 7-6, while their overall record improves to 14-9.
William Penn came roaring out of the gates, taking advantage of a trifecta of kills from Alyssa Young (Jr., Winter Springs, Fla., Biology) to take an early 7-2 lead. The Wildcats battled back, setting the score at 10-7, but the Statesmen put the set away early. Caidince Cleveland (Fr., Bettendorf, Iowa, General Accounting) came in to serve after the score was made 11-7, and she stayed at the service line for seven consecutive points as the utilized strong net play and two kills each from Corrin Lepper (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Exercise Science) and Alyvia Johnson (Fr., Owatonna, Minn., Elementary Education) to take a commanding 18-7 lead. Johnson closed out the frame a few points later with her sixth kill of the set. William Penn hit a staggering .393 in the opening frame while keeping the visitors to a miniscule -.114 mark.
The Statesmen built on their offensive momentum from the first set, as a Morgan Sanders (Fr., Lee’s Summit, Mo., Biology) kill pushed the lead to 9-4 early on. Culver-Stockton fought back, bringing the score to within two points, but the navy and gold once again pulled away, going on another seven point run to close out the set, punctuated by a block from Young. WPU took a step back offensively, still finishing with a strong .214 hitting percentage, but the defense continued to frustrate the Wildcats, holding them to a negative attacking rate for the second consecutive set.
For the third straight set, the Statesmen took an early lead. They led 7-4 in the opening stages of the third set, backed by two kills each from Johnson and Cecily Liphardt (Jr., Lincoln, Neb., Psychology and Business Management). This time, however, it was Culver-Stockton’s turn to go on a run, forcing a Statesmen timeout after taking the lead 10-8. The timeout proved advantageous, as the navy and gold quickly jumped back into the lead for good. The next run, this time featuring two aces from Macy Bailey (Jr., Bondurant, Iowa, Business Management), prompted WPU to an 18-13 lead. Sanders led down the finish line, tallying three kills at the end of the set, including the game winner.
Johnson led all attackers on the night with 13 kills. Lepper finished with eight kills and a .429 hitting percentage, while Young trailed close behind her with seven. Liphardt and Sanders each finished with five finishers.
Bailey earned the start at setter, totaling 18 assists. Annalise Whitcomb (Sr., Humboldt, Kan., General Accounting) just edged her out with 19 helpers.
Rebekah Eaves (Sr., Farmington, N.M., Elementary Education) served as the libero on Friday, leading the back row with 16 digs. Cleveland complemented her efforts with 14, while Whitcomb finished with eight.
“Proud of the girls tonight and their execution,” said Head Coach Aleesha Cleaver. “It was great to see multiple options on offense and have several girls step up. We want to continue this momentum going into next week.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen have their next contest on Tuesday, when they will travel to Dubuque to face the Clarke Pride at 7 PM. In their first matchup this year, the Statesmen fell to the Pride in three sets.
