FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University volleyball team pushed their winning streak to nine games with a pair of 3-0 victories over American Midwest Conference opponent Benedictine University at Springfield on Saturday afternoon. The victories put the Owls overall record over the .500 mark for this first time all season at 13-12.
The Owls trademark defense was on full display in the first match as they held BenU-Springfield to a .000 hitting percentage for the game en route to the 3-0 (25-18, 25-7, 25-20) victory. Senior
Amanda Henley (Jefferson City, Mo.) led the team with 14 digs. Senior
Amanda Coker (Carrollton, Texas) paced the WWU offense with nine kills, the mark tied her career-high which she has set three previous times.
William Woods landed 12 service aces in the second match to complete the sweep with another 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-20) triumph. After breaking her seven game double-digit kill streak in the first match freshman
Emily Becker (Belleville, Ill.) recorded 17 kills for the Owls. Becker hit an impressive .536 to lead WWU in hitting percentage. As a team, William Woods hit .308, the second time in three games they have hit over .300.
The Owls didn't waste any time in set one of the first match as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead. WWU was able to use a steady attack during the set led by
Kristen Bauer (St. Charles, Mo.) and Coker - each with three kills - that sparked WWU to a 25-18 victory.
In the second set the Owls scored the first seven points to take a commanding lead. WWU was able to push the lead to 16-3, their biggest of the match. The Owls defense only gave up seven points and forced the Bulldogs to hit a -.167 as a team to take a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
Benedictine University at Springfield was able to put up more of a resistance in the third set before falling to the Owls 25-20, giving William Woods the victory.
In the second match of the afternoon the Owls got off to another fast start jumping out 10-3 on the Bulldogs. William Woods used a 14-5 run to close out the set for the 25-17 victory.
Just like in the previous set, the Owls built a big lead early in the second set and did not relinquish it winning the set 25-15.
In the decisive set William Woods closed out the match with a late 7-3 run to complete the sweep of the Bulldogs with a 25-12 win.
With the two victories on Saturday, William Woods ends a stretch of nine games in seven days with a perfect 9-0 record.
WWU improves their AMC record to 7-2, which places them in a tie for fourth place with Hannibal-LaGrange.
William Woods will be back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 2, as they start a four-game AMC road trip at Missouri Baptist University. The first serve is set for 7 p.m.
