Statesmen Fall to Peru State in Four Sets
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Peru, Neb.–The William Penn volleyball team started hot, but could not maintain that strong play in a 3-1 loss to Peru State in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Tuesday.
The Statesmen (2-6, 0-2 Heart) lost by scores of 25-20, 23-25, 14-25, 18-25.
WPU bolted out to a 12-3 advantage and held off a charge by the Bobcats (1-1, 1-0 Heart) to take the opening set. The visitors outhit PSC .188-.027 in the first round.
The navy and gold again went out on top in the second set, taking a 3-1 edge. The score seesawed throughout, including being in William Penn’s favor at 16-13, but Peru State reeled off five straight and never trailed again. Down 24-20, the Statesmen managed three points in a row, but failed to finish off the rally as the match evened at one set each.
Unfortunately, the final two sets belonged to the Bobcats as they owned a final hitting advantage of .178-.079.
Nashali Cruz (Fr., Bayamon, P.R., Biology) guided WPU as the lone hitter in double figures, recording 10 winners with a .533 attack percentage.
Alexis Weatherspoon (Jr., Kansas City, Mo., Physical Education) was next for the visiting crew with five kills, while Claire Simmons (Sr., Williamsburg, Iowa, Psychology) added four points.
Taniah Ayap (Fr., Hilo, Hawaii, Exercise Science), with 14 assists, and Haley Smith (Jr., Adrian, Mich., Elementary Education), with 13, ran the two-setter offense.
Jordan Carter (Jr., Sigourney, Iowa, Elementary Education), who contributed three kills, was good for two aces and three total blocks (two solos), while Ashley Miller (Jr., Kalona, Iowa, Exercise Science) posted 21 digs.
“Our players came out with a lot of fire tonight,” Head Coach Jennifer Carlson said. “They had the goal of getting back the conference loss we had against Benedictine. We executed well in the first set and then battled back hard to almost take the second set as well. Unfortunately, we just lost the momentum from there. Our defense and passing were both really strong and gave us a chance.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Hannibal, Mo. next Tuesday to face Hannibal-LaGrange in non-conference action at 7 p.m.
