William Penn Sweeps Culver-Stockton in Heart Opener
The Statesmen women’s volleyball team eased into the Heart of America Athletic Conference slate, sweeping Culver-Stockton 3-0 Tuesday.
Canton, Mo.–The Statesmen women’s volleyball team eased into the Heart of America Athletic Conference slate, sweeping Culver-Stockton 3-0 Tuesday.
WPU (6-4, 1-0 Heart), which won by scores of 25-17, 25-20, 25-21, outhit the Wildcats .286-.140.
The visitors scored the first point of the night on a kill from Katlyn Jeter (Jr., Solon, Iowa, Business Management), but then permitted C-SC (1-6, 0-1 Heart) to go on a 6-1 run.
The navy and gold not only stopped the bleeding at 9-5, but turned immediately turned momentum their direction with 10 unanswered points. Riley Hungate (So., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) had a kill and an ace during the stretch, while WPU took advantage of six errors by the home squad and was not threatened to take a 1-0 edge.
The second round was nip-and-tuck early on, but up 8-5, the Statesmen scored nine of the next 12 points and cruised to a commanding 2-0 lead. Andressa Borges (Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sports Management) tallied six kills during the set, while as a team, William Penn hit an evening-best .375.
The third set was easily the most entertaining of the trio as the Statesmen could never really pull away from Culver-Stockton. Trailing 12-10, WPU recorded five points in a row and were eventually up 22-15, but the Wildcats responded and eventually trimmed the margin to three twice, including at 24-21, but Jade Melton (Sr., Hallsville, Mo., Psychology) denied any possible comeback with a match-ending kill.
Borges led William Penn with 11 kills, while Jeter was next with nine kills on a team-best .421 attack clip. Six other players also tallied a hitting winner.
With 13 and 12 assists, respectively, Chyanne Bradford (So., Rowlett, Texas, Education) and Mia Brady (So., Pontiac, Ill., Exercise Science) worked well as WPU’s setting tandem.
Hungate and Destiny Tom (Sr., Dickinson, Texas, Psychology) both recorded two aces, while the defense was led by Kaya Caprini (So., Minneapolis, Minn., Undecided) and her 12 digs. Brady concluded the night with a double-double, also adding 10 digs to her assist total.
“It feels good to win the first conference match of the season, especially with us battling some injuries and sickness,” Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said. “We were able to control our side of the court, make smart decisions, and execute consistently. I am proud of our team for staying the course, especially as we go into our last non-conference weekend against top competition.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to La Crosse, Wis. Friday and Saturday to compete in the Viterbo Tournament. On Friday, the Statesmen meet #10 Montana Tech at 12 p.m. and host and #4 Viterbo at 2 p.m. On Saturday, WPU takes on #11 Columbia (Mo.) at 11 a.m. and Dakota State at 1 p.m.
