Statesmen Fall to Vikings on the Road
Des Moines–The William Penn women’s volleyball team continued its conference slate with a road tilt against the Grand View Vikings, but unfortunately could not make it back into the win column, dropping the contest in four sets of 25-19, 15-25, 17-25, and 18-25.
The loss drops William Penn’s Heart of America Athletic Conference record to 2-1, while the navy and gold move to 8-4 overall.
The offense set the tone early against a tough opponent as Alyvia Johnson (Fr., Owatonna, Minn., Elementary Education) drove home a couple kills early on to give the Statesmen the lead. After taking the lead 2-1, the navy and gold never trailed again in the set, utilizing kills from seven different attackers on the way to a 25-19 victory. Although the Vikings out-killed the Statesmen 13-9 in the opener, the navy and gold were much more efficient with their chances, outhitting their hosts by a margin of .217-.097.
The second time around, the Statesmen received the opening point of the set to take the first lead. However, conversely to the opening set, it was Grand View who went on a run following the opening point, taking the next four points to earn a lead that held all the way to the end as the Vikings evened up the match at one apiece with a 25-15 win. After outhitting their hosts in the first set, the Statesmen took a step backwards in efficiency, finishing with a second set attacking percentage of -.097.
In the third set, the Vikings started off hot and carried the momentum with them. The hosts took seven of the first nine points of the set to take a 7-2 lead and never again let the lead dwindle below five points, eventually finishing with a 25-17 win.
The beginning of the fourth set nearly mirrored the third with Grand View taking a 7-2 lead and trying to add on. The Statesmen, however, battled back on multiple occasions, bringing the score to within three points at 12-9 and once again late at 18-15. Unfortunately, the Vikings were able to pull away after the late threat, ending the contest with a 25-18 win.
Johnson was the only Statesmen to cross the double digit kill mark, leading the team with 11. Alicia Jaquez (Sr., Farmington, N.M., Biology) finished second in that department with six.
Annalise Whitcomb (Sr., Humboldt, Kan., General Accounting) commanded most of the assists on the night, assisting in 19 of the team’s 30 kills. Macy Bailey (Jr., Bondurant, Iowa, Business Management) also contributed six.
Cameryn Campbell (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Elementary Education) led the defensive effort with 18 digs, with Whitcomb coming just shy of double digits behind her. Whitcomb finished second with nine.
What’s Next: After seven straight games on the road, the Statesmen finally return home to the Penn Activities Center on Friday for a conference matchup with the Park Pirates. That matchup is scheduled to begin at 7 PM.
