William Penn Sweeps Three, Goes 3-1 at Beloit Tourney
William Penn Women’s Athletics
Beloit, Wis.–The Lady Statesmen volleyball team was nearly perfect in its first three matches, but then came up short in the finale at the Beloit Buc Blast Invitational Friday and Saturday.
William Penn (5-4) finished 3-1, beginning with a 3-0 win (25-20, 25-20, 25-18) over Presentation (S.D.) Friday. The navy and gold ended the day with another three-game sweep (25-14, 25-15, 25-15) of Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.).
Saturday began with one more 3-0 win (27-25, 25-17, 25-20) against Macalester (Minn.), but the perfect weekend was denied in a 3-1 setback (11-25, 25-27, 25-19, 22-25) versus Hamline (Minn.).
William Penn 3, Presentation 0
Katie Rielly (Sr., Oskaloosa, Des Moines Area CC), who was named to the all-tournament team, paced the navy and gold with 11 kills in the opener, while Alanna Connors (Jr., Libertyville, Ill., Libertyville HS) also reached double figures with ten winners. Lacey Taylor (Sr., Cedar, Iowa Western CC) picked up six kills, and both she and Rielly served up three aces each.
Dayna Sammons (So., Menomonee Falls, Wis., Menomonee Falls HS) managed 23 assists, while Danielle Breeher (Fr., St. Louis, Mo., Oakville HS) tallied 11 digs.
William Penn 3, Milwaukee School of Engineering 0
Connors guided the team in Friday’s nightcap with ten kills and a .714 attack percentage (WPU hit .429 overall). Rielly, with eight kills, and Taylor, with six kills, were also productive offensively.
Sammons assisted on 12 points, while Leyra Jusino (Fr., Bayamon, P.R., Colegio Beato CMR HS) did so 11 times. Sammons also had three aces, as did Breeher, who finished with 15 digs.
Ana Gutch (So., Eddyville, Eddyville-Blakesburg HS) was the squad’s best net defender with four blocks (two solos, two assists).
William Penn 3, Macalester 0
The offense continued to execute at a high level in its third-straight victory by hitting .330, including a 15-kill performance by Taylor (.464 clip). Rielly contributed 11 winners, while Jeanette Cunningham (Jr., Mt. Orab, Ohio, Western Brown HS) posted nine kills.
A total of 33 points came off assists by Sammons, while she and Rielly served up two aces apiece. Breeher’s 21 digs and Gutch’s three block assists topped the defensive effort.
Hamline 3, William Penn 1
Three players (Rielly with 13 kills, Taylor with 12, and Cunningham with ten) highlighted the hitting list, while Sammons finished with 38 assists.
Sammons, Taylor, and Rielly all had two aces, while Sammons and Breeher dug 17 attacks each. Gutch blocked three balls (one solo, two assists).
“We played well all weekend and started to gel on the court,” Head Coach Jeremy Wise said. “We were able to try a few different offensive formations and got good performances out of our subs. We unfortunately finally hit the wall in our last match. We played back-to-back on both days and started slowly in most sets, which is something we will need to work on.”
“We fought hard against Hamline, but came up just a few plays short,” Wise added. “The ladies showed fight all the way to the finish, and we left the gym knowing we can play at a high level. We just need to lock it in early in matches.”
Next: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Wednesday for its home opener, hosting Loras in non-conference action at 7:30 p.m.
