FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University volleyball team looks for a marquee win as they host No. 25 Missouri Baptist University for an American Midwest Conference match on Friday night. It will be 'Bright Out Night' at Anderson Arena, as the first 200 fans will receive a free t-shirt courtesy of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 562. First serve for the match is set for 7 p.m.
William Woods (14-19, 8-1 AMC) is currently in a three-way tie with No. 13 Park University and No. 15 Columbia College, as the trio stands at 8-1 with two matches remaining in league play for all three squads. The Owls hold a half-game lead over No. 25 Missouri Baptist (25-6, 8-2 AMC). Friday will be the regular season finale for the Spartans, and the Owls could guarantee themselves at least a third-place finish in the AMC with a victory over MBU.
The Owls are coming off a straight set victory over AMC foe Harris-Stowe State University on Wednesday night. Kristen Bauer collected her 1,000th career kill in the second set as she posted 11 kills on the night. Sophomore Emily Becker earned a double-double in the match with her 13-kill, 10-dig performance.Â
Missouri Baptist will look to get back on the winning track as they suffered a straight set loss at Park University on Wednesday night. The Spartans have struggled of late, as they have suffered five of their six losses on the season over the last 10 matches.
Match Notes
1,000-Kill Club
On Wednesday junior Kristen Bauer collected her 1,000th career kill in the second set of a 3-0 (25-8, 25-15, 25-11) win over Harris-Stowe State University.
In her career the St. Charles, Mo., native has tallied 1,005 kills. The outside hitter has enjoyed another successful season in an Owls uniform, as she has collected 348 kills so far this season.
Chasing History
Junior libero Abbie O'Mara is just 16 digs shy of passing Skye Wade's single-season record of 804 digs.
The junior has amassed 789 digs this season and has a career total of 1,483 digs, which is the third-most all-time by a William Woods' player.
Trying To Surpass Herself
Sophomore Emily Becker has collected 425 kills on the season, which is the third-most in a single-season in school history. Becker also holds the second-highest single-season kill total with 438 kills from last season. The sophomore currently needs just eight more kills to surpass her freshman total.
Becker is currently second in the AMC in kills and has collected the eighth-most kills in the NAIA.
Premier Dig Team
William Woods has collected the most digs in the AMC this season with 2,408. That number is also the fourth-highest total in the NAIA.
Junior libero Abbie O'Mara has posted a league-best 789 digs and ranks second in the NAIA in individual digs.
Trying To Move Into Single-Season Top Five
Freshman setter Sara Stevenson is just 151 assists shy of cracking the single-season top five assists list. The Belleville, Ill., native is currently chasing Sarah Wehmeyer's 2012 total of 1,291 assists.
Looking To Finish Strong
William Woods has two remaining home matches against Missouri Baptist University and Park University, two programs that are currently ranked inside the NAIA Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
If the Owls can upset either team, it would give them its first win over a top 25 program this season.
Knowing Your Opponent – Missouri Baptist University
The Spartans come into Friday's match with an overall record of 25-6. MBU stands a half-game behind William Woods going into the match. Missouri Baptist started the year strong, as they stood at 20-1 with an 18-match winning streak on Oct. 7. Ever since then, the Spartans have went an even .500 at 5-5 and have suffered three losses in their last five matches.
The Spartans are an extremely efficient hitting team, as they have the 15th-highest attack percentage in the nation at .253. MBU has four players that are currently hitting over .250, with Kayleigh Cox leading the way with her .331 attack percentage.
Maddy Hammack leads the team in kills with 370. The senior has collected 21 double-digit kill matches this season, including a career-high 27-kill performance against Cornerstone on Oct. 11. Hammack is third in the AMC in total kills, trailing Park's Wanessa Siqueira and William Woods' Emily Becker.Â
Defensively, Missouri Baptist is holding teams to a .130 attack percentage and have collected 1,667 digs on the year. Molly DeClue's 414 digs leads the team in that category. DeClue has posted double-digit digs in 22 matches this season and the libero had a streak of nine straight matches with double-digit digs back in late September that ran through early October.
Series At A Glance
MBU leads the all-time series 39-25. The last WWU win in the series came in 2009 with a straight set victory.
Check back with wwuowls.com for a full preview and recap of this and every match during the 2013 season.
