FULTON, Mo. Â-- The William Woods University volleyball team will wrap-up the 2013 regular season on Wednesday night, as they host American Midwest Conference team, and No. 13-Ranked Park University. It will be 'Greek Night' at Anderson Arena, as the first 150 fans in attendance will receive free pizza. First serve for the match, presented by Red Weir Athletic Supplies, is set for 7 p.m.
William Woods (14-20, 8-2 AMC) will face its second consecutive Top 25 team, as the Owls dropped a straight set match to No. 25 Missouri Baptist University on Friday night. WWU was led by Emily Becker's 10-kill performance, yet the Owls were held to a .192 attack percentage on the night, as the Spartans out dug the normally dominant WWU defense 44-40.
Park University (30-4, 9-1 AMC) is on a three-match winning streak and have won four of its previous five matches. During the five match stretch, the Pirates have defeated a pair of NAIA Top 25 teams in MidAmerica Nazarene and AMC foe Missouri Baptist. The lone loss for Park during that stretch has been to No. 15 Columbia College.
Match Notes
Greek Night
Wednesday will be 'Greek Night' at Anderson Arena. The first 150 fans will receive free pizza, and the largest and loudest Greek organization in attendance will receive a free pizza party courtesy of the William Woods University Volleyball team.
Single-Season Dig Record
With her 14th dig of the night against Missouri Baptist, junior libero Abbie O'Mara passed Skye Wade's single-season dig record of 804 setback in 2009.
O'Mara ended the match with 17 digs, to give her a total of 808 on the season, a mark that is currently the second-highest in the NAIA. The St. Peters, Mo., native has a chance to put more distance in between first and second place on the list, as the Owls will have at least two more matches this season, which includes tonight's match and a first round match of the upcoming AMC Tournament.
Seeking Marquee Win
Wednesday night will be the last chance for the Owls to collect a win over a Top 25 Program during the regular season. William Woods has had plenty of chances this season, yet are 0-6 against NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 teams. Most recently, WWU dropped a straight set match to No. 25 Missouri Baptist University.
Chasing Herself
Sophomore Emily Becker is just four kills shy of surpassing her freshman total of 438, a mark that is the second-highest total in a single season at William Woods. Becker's 345 kills in not only the third-most kills in a single season in school history, but it currently ranks as the 11th-highest total in the NAIA.
Milestone Season
Though the Owls record stands at 14-20 on the year, the 2013 season will be remembered as an important one for three WWU players. So far this season, William Woods has honored Kristen Bauer, Abbie O'Mara, and Sara Stevenson for achieving a milestone.
Bauer was honored last Friday for reaching her 1,000th career kill against Harris-Stowe State University. O'Mara was honored earlier this season for her 1,000th career dig and will be honored on Wednesday for setting the single-season dig record, while Stevenson was honored last Wednesday for recording her 1,000th career assist against the University of Jamestown.
Knowing Your Opponent – Park University
The No. 13-ranked Pirates come into Wednesday's game with a half-game lead over Columbia College for first place in the AMC. So far on the season, Park is 9-1 in league play and 30-4 overall. They are currently on a three-match winning streak, during the streak the Pirates have defeated a trio of AMC teams, including No. 25 Missouri Baptist University.
Wanessa Siqueira is the Pirate's top player, as she leads the AMC in kills with 504, a total that is the third-highest in the NAIA. Siqueira has reached the double-digit dig plateau in kills in all but five matches this season and had an impressive 31-kill performance on two separate occasions. In conference play, the Brazilian native has amassed 113 kills in 10 matches.
Park is the premier offensive team in the AMC, as they lead the league in hitting percentage (.275), kills (1,615) and assists (1,489). Lauren Purdy leads the conference in hitting percentage at .373, while Siqueira's .325 attack percentage is the second-highest mark in the league.
Defensively, the Pirates are the top blocking team in the AMC, as they have amassed 252.5 blocks this season. Toi Collins' 112 total blocks in first in the league, while Purdy's 92 rejections is the third-highest total. The long arms of Park has helped them limit teams to a .117 attack percentage on the year.
A Look At The Series
William Woods holds the 38-14 all-time series lead, though Park University has won three of the last four matches in the series.
Check back with wwuowls.com for a full recap of this and every match during the 2013 season.
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