HANNIBAL, Mo. -- The William Woods University volleyball team continued its move up the standings in American Midwest Conference play on Tuesday night, picking up a 3-2 (25-17, 17-25, 25-11, 19-25, 18-16) win at Hannibal-LaGrange University.
Sarah Wehmeyer (Carrollton, Texas) picked up a double-double (36 assists, 11 digs) and
Emily Becker (Belleville, Ill.) led the team with a .250 hitting percentage and 16 kills in the win.
The Owls opened the first set brightly, with Wehmeyer earning a service ace - one of nine for WWU in the match - on the first point. WWU jumped out to an 8-3 lead and kept HLG at arm's length through the first set.
The Trojans would return the favor in the second set, with Brook Van Es opening the set with a service ace to spark an equally quick 10-4 run for HLG. A WWU timeout at 5-13 wasn't enough to break the momentum as the hosts knotted the match at 1-1.
In the third set, WWU didn't allow Hannibal-LaGrange to string together a scoring run longer than three points as they rolled out 25-11 winners.
Emily Nolte (Higginsville, Mo.) picked up back-to-back service aces at 9-6 and 10-6, but it would be a string of six consecutive points off the serve of
Abbie O'Mara (St. Peters, Mo.) that salted the third set away for the Owls.
WWU dropped the fourth set and struggled out of the gates in the deciding fifth set, trailing 7-3 early. The Owls battled back, pulling to within two at the switch - 8-6 - and evening the score at 10-10. The teams traded points back and forth down the stretch, with a solo block from Becker closing out the fifth set 18-16 for WWU.
William Woods moves to 15-14 on the season and 9-4 in AMC play. The league win total is the highest since the 2009 season, when the Owls went 13-3 in the league. The squad returns home on Thursday night to start a three-match homestand against Avila University. The match, presented by Mid-City Lumber, is set for a 7 p.m. start.
