Statesmen on Losing End of Sweep Vs. Columbia
Columbia, Mo.–The William Penn women’s volleyball team opened up a weekend trip south of the state border on a sour note Friday as it fell 3-0 to #24 Columbia in non-conference play.
WPU (11-11), which lost by scores of 22-25, 19-25, 22-25, was outhit .196-.116.
The Statesmen played even with the Cougars (16-7) through the first 20 points of the night, but four unanswered points put them in a hole in which they could not overcome. The visitors closed to within one at 20-19 on a kill by Riley Hungate (Fr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management), but failed to get any closer.
Down 1-0, William Penn battled from start to finish in the second set and actually used a 4-1 run to grab a 19-18 edge. Unfortunately, CC closed strong with seven straight for a commanding edge in the match.
WPU appeared primed to force at least another set from Columbia by tallying the first three points of the third round and later holding a 9-4 advantage. The Statesmen continued to roll, eventually pulling out to a 19-12 lead, but the Cougars would not be denied the perfect night as they ended the match on a 13-3 run for the sweep.
Alyvia Johnson (So., Owatonna, Minn., Business Management) proved to be the brightest star for the navy and gold, recording a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs. She was also part of three blocks, while her squad ended up with a 10-7 edge in total blocks.
Hungate added seven kills, while Macy Bailey (Sr., Bondurant, Iowa, Business Management) assisted 10 times. Bailey and Caidince Cleveland (So., Bettendorf, Iowa, General Accounting) served up two aces each, and Cecily Liphardt (Sr., Lincoln, Neb., Psychology and Business Management) joined Johnson in double figures with 11 digs.
Alyssa Young (Sr., Winter Springs, Fla., Biology) guided the defensive net effort with one solo block and three assists.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Springfield, Mo. Saturday to face Evangel in Heart action at 1 p.m.
