FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University volleyball wraps up its 2013 regular season with a three-match home stand that starts tomorrow night with an American Midwest Conference contest against Harris-Stowe State University. First serve for the match, presented by Central Dairy, is set for 7 p.m.
William Woods (13-19, 7-1 AMC) comes into the match in a three-way tie for second place in the AMC with No. 10 Park University and No. 22 Columbia College. The Owls dropped a hard-fought three-set match to the Cougars their last time on Oct. 23, giving WWU its first AMC loss of the season.
Harris-Stowe (4-16, 0-8 AMC) is still searching for its first conference win of the season after they dropped a three-set match at Stephens College on Monday night. The Hornets have already won three more matches than last year's squad that went 1-34, however they are still looking to snap their 74-match conference losing streak that dates back to 2008.
Match Notes
1,000-Assist Club
William Woods University will honor freshman setter Sara Stevenson for eclipsing the 1,000-assist plateau prior to the match. The Belleville, Ill., native handed out her 1,000th helper of the season on Oct. 19 against the University of Jamestown.
It's been a stellar freshman campaign for Stevenson, as she has collected 1,112 assists on the year. She needs just 180 more assists to pass Wehmeyer's last season total of 1,291, a mark that is ranked as the fifth-most assists in a single season in school history. Â Â
Chasing History
Junior libero Abbie O'Mara is just 31 digs shy of breaking Skye Wade's single-season record 804 digs. So far on the season, O'Mara has posted 774 digs and has collected 1,478 digs in her three-year career.
1,000th Kill Watch
Going into Wednesday's match, junior outside hitter Kristen Bauer has collected 994 career kills, just six shy of 1,000.
Double-Double Machine
Sara Stevenson has collected 18 double-doubles this season to lead the team. The freshman setter had an impressive streak of six straight double-doubles back in mid-September.
Stevenson collected three consecutive double-doubles in the final three matches of the Grand View University Tournament which helped the setter be selected for the All-Tournament team.
National Rankings
As a team, the Owls have collected the fourth-most digs in the NAIA with 2,336. While libero Abbie O'Mara has collected the second-highest individual total in the nation with 774.
Offensively, William Woods ranks 34th in total kills with 1,392 and 37th in assists with 1,256. Sophomore Emily Becker has posted the 11th-most kills in the NAIA with 412 and Sara Stevenson has posted the 14th-highest total of assists with 1,112.
Conference Rankings
William Woods leads the AMC in digs with 2,336 and is second the conference in blocks with 214.5.
Individually, Abbie O'Mara's 774 digs is the highest-total in the league. Emily Becker is second in kills 412, Emma Aschenbrenner is second in blocks with 98 and Sara Stevenson is second in the league in assists with 1,112.
Knowing Your Opponent – Harris-Stowe State University
The Hornets come into Wednesday's match looking to snap a 74-match conference losing streak. Harris-Stowe has not won a match inside the AMC since Oct. 29, 2008, when they defeated Stephens College in straight sets. Overall on the year, HSSU stands at 4-16, the four wins are a four-win improvement from last season's 1-34 record.
Jasmine Land's 163 kills are the highest total on the team, while Sydnee Williams (145) and Valencia McCorkle (110) are the only two other Hornets to collect over 100 kills this season. Land has posted seven double-digit kill matches this season, her season-best total of 17 came against Christian Brothers College.
Defensively, Kyesha Lee has collected the most digs on the team with 191. Lee has posted double-digit digs in three of her last five matches, including a 12-dig performance against Stephens College on Monday.
The Hornets rank near the bottom of the conference in most statistical categories, as they are the lowest ranked team in assists, kills, and digs. However, they are middle-of-the-pack in terms of hitting percentage, as they have hit .137 on the year.
Series At A Glance
William Woods has never lost a match to Harris-Stowe, as they hold the 55-0 all-time series lead between the two.
Get Social With The Owls
In addition to the traditional outlets, fans can keep up with the latest news about William Woods Athletics via our social media channels. Checkout our Facebook page (Facebook.com/WWUOwls) and twitter feed (@WWU_Owls).
Check back with wwuowls.com for a full recap of this and every game during the 2013 season.
