WPU Sweeps Valor, Advances to Semifinals for First Time Since 2010
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen women’s volleyball team broke a lengthy postseason losing streak as it defeated #6 seed Evangel 3-0 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals Saturday.
Third-seeded William Penn (21-13), which won by scores of 26-24, 25-19, 25-14, advances to the semifinal round where it will face #2 seed Park next Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Parkville, Mo. The Statesmen were swept by the Pirates 3-0 in Missouri back on September 23.
Winners of six in a row and 10 of their last 11, the navy and gold are making their first appearance in the conference tournament semifinals since 2010.
The hosts improved as the night wore on, eventually outhitting the Valor (17-16) by a .224-.109 overall clip, including posting a 41-31 advantage in kills. They also tallied nine aces, compared to four for EU, while overcoming a 7-5 deficit in blocks.
The opening set was a classic with 14 ties and six lead changes. The Statesmen eventually owned two set points at 24-22, but Evangel rallied back to a tie before kills by Corrin Lepper (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Biology) and Alyvia Johnson (So., Owatonna, Minn., Business Management) closed it out.
The Valor controlled the early part of the second set with a 15-10 advantage, but a pair of visitor errors spurred William Penn as it scored three in a row. The Statesmen flipped the script with nine of the next 10 points and closed out the round on a 15-4 run for a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Johnson posted seven winners in the set.
William Penn carried its momentum into the third set. Never trailing, the home squad used runs of four and five unanswered points to lock it up. WPU cruised down the stretch, outhitting the Valor .360-.028 in the set.
Johnson guided the victors with 17 kills, while Lepper was next with seven kills on a .700 attack mark. Alyssa Young (Sr., Winter Springs, Fla., Biology) matched Lepper with seven winners, while Riley Hungate (Fr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) and Andressa Borges (So., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sports Management) both managed four offensive points.
Macy Bailey (Sr., Bondurant, Iowa, General Accounting) assisted 20 times and served up four aces, and Paola Cruz (Sr., Ocala, Fla., Biology) notched three additional service points.
Defensively, Cecily Liphardt (Sr., Lincoln, Neb., Psychology and Business Management) tallied 13 digs, while the trio of Lepper, Young, and Borges all recorded a pair of block assists.
“It is a great day to be a Statesmen!” Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said. “We game-planned all week and did exactly what we talked about and took care of business. It was a great game from start to finish, from the six on the court and everyone on the bench. We are excited to stay alive in the postseason and keeping pushing.”
