WPU Loses Four-Setter to Graceland

William Penn University Athletics

by Wade Steinlage

Lamoni—William Penn hit the road to open the first of back-to-back matchups on Thursday as they faced off against Graceland. The game had major implications for both teams and their postseason aspirations.

Unfortunately, the Statesmen (19-14, 6-11 Heart) came up short against the Yellowjackets (16-19, 6-11 Heart) in four sets (23-25, 16-25, 25-13, 18-25).

After falling in the first two sets, the navy and gold played their best set of the night in the third. The team posted its highest kill percentage of the night with a .455 mark.

Overall, the hosts outhit WPU .130-.105 to help propel them to victory.

Danielle Pendzinski (Jr., Winnebago, Ill., Elementary Education) continued her efficient play on Thursday posting nine kills and a .318 clip to lead the Statesmen. Alongside Pendzinski, Jordan Carter (Sr., Sigourney, Iowa, Elementary Education) was able to chip in nine of her own while Corrin Lepper (Fr., Jefferson City, Mo., Exercise Science) tallied eight kills.

The two-set formation was once again successful for the Statesmen. Haley Smith (Sr., Adrian, Mich., Elementary Education) finished with a team-high 17 assists and Marie Garcia (Sr., Kaneohe, Hawaii, Communications) had 11 of her own to go along with seven digs.

Ashley Miller (Sr., Kalona, Iowa, Exercise Science) had 22 digs in the contest to bring her season total to 693. She entered the game fourth in the nation in total digs. Casi Gacusana (Jr., Keaau, Hawaii, Biology) had a solid game on the back row as well tallying 11 digs, good for her second highest output of the season.

Next Up: WPU will stay on the road and conclude their regular season in a Heart matchup with Peru State in Peru, Neb., starting at 7:00 pm.