FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University volleyball team had visions of an upset after pushing no. 3-ranked Columbia College to a 24-26 score in the first set, but the Owls couldn't sustain the momentum, falling 0-3 (24-26, 16-25, 15-25) on Thursday night. Freshman
Emily Becker (Belleville, Ill.) led the Owls attack with nine kills and a .214 attack percentage, adding 12 digs on the night.
The Owls found themselves in a 3-9 hole in the first set, despite a couple of long-fought rallies but took advantage of three straight attack errors from the Cougars to pull within three at 8-11. A snap kill from Paula Ferreira pushed the Columbia lead back to four, but
Kristen Bauer (St. Charles, Mo.) picked up a huge kill on the next point to spark a 5-0 run for the Owls, giving WWU its first lead of the match.
Short spurts from each team saw the lead change hands twice more down the stretch, with the Owls having an opportunity to put the match away as Columbia's libero Elena Berroteran's dipping serve caught too much of the net tape, falling on the Cougars side to put WWU in front 24-23.
The visitors quickly leveled the score at 24-24 and after a five-play rally left Columbia with set point at 25-24, head coach
Monica Herschelman called a time out to settle her squad. Unfortunately, the Cougars were able to win another short rally to take the first set.
WWU opened the second set briskly, trading points back and forth with the third-ranked team in the nation, but couldn't overcome a 6-0 spurt midway through the set, falling 16-25.
Another spurt from the Cougars, this time a 7-1 run to a 13-7 lead, proved too much for the young William Woods squad to handle, as the visitors held on for the match win.
As a team, the Owls posted an attack percentage of .111, collecting three service aces along the way. In addition to Becker's nine kills, Bauer added eight, with
Amanda Henley (Jefferson City, Mo.) posting 11 digs in the outing. Columbia finished with a .358 attack percentage, with Nohely Perez leading the attack with a .571 mark and 14 kills. Berroteran led all players with 23 digs on the night.
A seven-game road swing awaits the Owls, as they head south on Saturday to take on AMC newcomers Lyon College. WWU will battle the Scots in a pair of matches, slated for first serves at noon and 2 p.m.
