Winning Streak Over as William Penn Succumbs in Tight Match
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen women’s volleyball team came out red hot, but failed to sustain that excellence as it fell 3-1 to Benedictine in a Heart of America Athletic Conference match Friday.
WPU (15-13, 9-6 Heart), which lost by scores of 27-25, 23-25, 26-28, 20-25, held a .240-.222 hitting edge and was stronger in the blocking category at 14-9. Unfortunately, the hosts had 28 fewer attacking attempts and also finished with five fewer aces (7-2) than the Ravens (14-11, 8-6 Heart).
Headlined by kills from Andressa Borges (So., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sports Management) and Riley Hungate (Fr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management), the navy and gold scored the first five points of the evening. BC battled right back, however, and as most of the contest would be, the first set was a back-and-forth affair that featured nine ties and a pair of lead changes. Borges, who finished with 15 kills on a .344 hitting clip, finally put the round to rest with a pair of kills down the stretch. The sophomore had seven winners in the opening set.
The second battle of the conference war witnessed 10 ties and three lead changes, but the Statesmen failed to grab control of the match. Alyssa Young (Sr., Winter Springs, Fla., Biology) made her presence known with six kills in the second, but Benedictine drew even at one match apiece.
After posting its worst hitting percentage of the contest at .152 in the second set, William Penn rebounded to put down 28% of its tries in the third set. Unfortunately, the Ravens also improved, which led to yet another barn-burner. If possible, the third set somehow one-upped the previous two as the sides managed to tie on 12 occasions and switch the lead six times.
Up 23-19 and then holding three set points, the Statesmen had the visitors on the ropes, but could not deliver the proverbial knockout blow.
The Ravens eventually won the set and then took that momentum for the most lopsided round of the league bout. Tied at 2-2 in the fourth, BC reeled off four in a row and never trailed again to close out the victory.
The loss snaps William Penn’s fourth-match winning streak.
Three nights after posting a double-double, Young nearly replicated the performance, finishing with team highs in kills (17) and blocks (8 assists); the senior hit .333 overall.
Alyvia Johnson (So., Owatonna, Minn., Business Management) also narrowly missed a double-double, producing nine kills with 18 digs. Jade Melton (Jr., Hallsville, Mo., Psychology) concluded the setback with eight kills, while Corrin Lepper (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Biology) had seven and Katlyn Jeter (So., Solon, Iowa, Business Management) had five.
Macy Bailey (Sr., Bondurant, Iowa, Business Management) assisted 31 times off the bench, while Mia Brady (Fr., Pontiac, Ill., Exercise Science) helped on 24 kills; Brady’s 11 digs led her to a double-double.
Defensively, Cecily Liphardt (Sr., Lincoln, Neb., Psychology and Business Management) was the star of the back row with 31 digs. Johnson (6 assists), Borges (2 solos, 2 assists), and Lepper (4 assists) complemented Young’s blocking efforts as well.
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Saturday, hosting Baker in Heart play at 11 a.m. and College of the Ozarks in a non-conference bout at 4 p.m.
