William Penn Claims Three Victories in Indiana
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Whiting, Ind.–The Statesmen volleyball team finished a productive week with three more wins as it competed at the Calumet-St. Joseph Tournament Friday and Saturday.
WPU (11-18) won Friday’s opener 3-0 over host Calumet-St. Joseph (25-20, 25-12, 25-18) before also sweeping Governors State (Ill.) 3-0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-16). On Saturday, the navy and gold dropped Indiana Northwest 3-1 (25-17, 20-25, 25-14, 25-11), but ended the tournament with a 3-0 loss to Michigan-Dearborn (16-25, 14-25, 24-26).
William Penn finished the week 4-1, which helped it eclipse last year’s win total; the squad’s 11 triumphs are its most since 2013 (15).
WPU 3, Calumet-St. Joseph 0
The Statesmen, who outhit the Crimson Wave .168-.000, never trailed and were only tied once.
Jordan Carter (Jr., Sigourney, Iowa, Elementary Education) began her big weekend with eight kills, while Nashali Cruz (Fr., Bayamon, P.R., Biology) was next with six winners. Claire Simmons (Sr., Williamsburg, Iowa, Psychology) and Alicia Jaquez (Fr., Farmington, N.M., Biology) added five points apiece.
Haley Smith (Jr., Adrian, Mich., Elementary Education) recorded 15 assists, while Caitlin Jamison (So., Winfield, Iowa, Undecided) was right behind her in the two-setter formation with 13 helpers.
Brittany Weikel (Sr., Remsen, Iowa, Undecided) served up four aces, and Ashley Miller (Jr., Kalona, Iowa, Exercise Science) was good for another three in addition to 18 digs.
WPU 3, Governors State 0
WPU nearly went wire-to-wire in Friday’s second contest, trailing just once early in the second set. The deficit was erased quickly, though, as the team scored nine points in a row and cruised to the sweep.
The victors, who owned a .337 hitting mark (-.074 for GSU), were led by 10 kills each from Carter and Cruz. Jaquez managed seven attack points, while the duo of Smith (16 assists) and Jamison (15) ‘quarterbacked’ the offense.
Carter notched a trio of aces as well, while Miller dug 23 GSU hits.
WPU 3, Indiana Northwest 1
William Penn rolled in the three sets in which it won en route to a convincing .205-.026 hitting advantage. Carter’s 14 kills were a team high, while Nesreen Iskandrani (So., Lawrence, Kan., History/Government) also reached double figures with 10 winners.
Cruz, with nine kills, and Jaquez, with seven, were also big offensive contributors. Smith’s 36 assists, Carter’s four aces, and Miller’s 40 digs headed the navy and gold in those categories.
Michigan-Dearborn 3, WPU 0
Unfortunately, the Statesmen left the Hoosier State with a sour taste in their mouths, being outhit .256-.022 in the weekend finale.
Simmons tallied six kills, while Cruz managed five winners; Carter and Iskandrani both added four points as well. Smith assisted 20 times and Miller dug 13 balls as well as served up two aces.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Des Moines next Tuesday to face #11 Grand View in Heart of America Athletic Conference action at 7 p.m.
