Statesmen Earn Sweep in Dubuque
Dubuque–The William Penn women’s volleyball team continued their winning ways on Tuesday, taking down the Clarke Pride in straight sets of 25-20, 25-22, 25-19.
The Statesmen now sit at 15-9 overall, moving their record in Heart of America Athletic Conference play to 8-6.
The hosts got out to an early lead, but the Statesmen took two straight points off kills from Alyvia Johnson (Fr., Owatonna, Minn., Elementary Education) to get themselves going on offense. WPU had to work back into the contest after falling behind 14-9, but tied it up at 15-15 before breaking away for five of the last six points to seal the victory. Morgan Sanders (Fr., Lee’s Summit, Mo., Biology) had four kills in the opening round.
The navy and gold fell behind early in the second set, but stormed back with six straight points to capture the lead 8-5. The hosts battled back to tie it, however, as the two teams proceeded to trade points and runs en route to a 16-16 tie. The Statesmen were able to create some separation, not relinquishing the lead again as Sanders finished the second set with her sixth kill of the evening.
The third set started off closely contested again, but the Statesmen used three kills from Alicia Jaquez (Sr., Farmington, N.M., Biology) to stay close, but they could not create separation as they looked to complete the sweep. That is, they could not create separation until an attacking error brought Cecily Liphardt (Jr., Lincoln, Neb., Psychology and Business Management) to the service line, where she would remain as the Statesmen rattled off eight consecutive points to take a 22-15 lead that they would not relinquish as they completed their fourth straight victory.
Johnson and Sanders finished tied for the team lead with eight kills, but it was Sanders who had the most efficient attacking day. Sanders had only one error in the contest, finishing with a hitting percentage of .421.
Macy Bailey (Jr., Bondurant, Iowa, Business Management) earned the start at setter and finished with 12 assists, but Annalise Whitcomb (Sr., Humboldt, Kan., General Accounting) worked as the primary setter in the contest, totaling 21 helpers.
Rebekah Eaves (Sr., Farmington, N.M., Elementary Education) led the back row effort, finishing with a game-high 21 digs. Caidince Cleveland (Fr., Bettendorf, Iowa, General Accounting) finished second with 14.
What’s Next: The Statesmen have three days to rest up before taking a trip to Baldwin City, Kan. to take on the Baker Wildcats on Friday. First serve is scheduled for 7 PM.
