WPU Gets Past Graceland 3-1
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s volleyball team returned to the win column Saturday as it defeated Graceland 3-1 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.
The Statesmen (10-6, 1-1 Heart) won by scores of 20-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-19.
The hosts held off the Yellowjackets, despite being outhit .099-.090.
WPU came out strong in the opening set with a 11-6 edge, and continued to be on top 19-17. Unfortunately, GU (1-9, 0-2 Heart) could only score one more point the rest of the way in falling behind 1-0 in the match.
Trailing 16-10 in the second set, the navy and gold were on the verge of falling into a huge 2-0 hole, but an 11-4 run put them on top. After permitting back-to-back points, William Penn found its footing with four in a row to pull even in the match at 1-1.
The third and fourth sets were similar with the hosts able to take early advantages and eventually hold off the Yellowjackets to claim the victory.
Abigail Mitchell (Sr., Oxford, Ala., Nursing) headlined both sides of the net for the victors, just missing a double-double with nine kills and 15 digs.
The duo of Emilie Bojorquez-McFadden (Sr., Surprise, Ariz., Biology) and Maju Vieira (Sr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) each tallied seven winners, while both Alix Robinson (So., Pontiac, Ill., Political Science and History) and Emma Skoglund (Fr., Branson, Mo.) managed five kills.
Leah Meyer (Fr., Houston, Texas, Business Management) also narrowly missed a double-double with 16 assists and nine digs, while Courtney McWilliams (So., Rockton, Ill., Nursing) ended the afternoon with 15 assists.
Defensively, Maddy Gustafson (Jr., Marion, Iowa, Psychology and Human Services) matched Mitchell with 15 digs, while Robinson and Skoglund each finished with three blocks. Overall, the navy and gold overcame being outblocked 9-6.
A trio of WPU players served up two aces in the triumph.
“It is great to get into the win column in conference play,” Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said. “This was not our best game, but we got the job done. We have to work on some things to get back into sync together, but it still feels good to get the team win.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa next Tuesday to host Grand View in Heart play at 7 p.m.
