FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University volleyball team host a tri-match with College of the Ozarks and Columbia College on Tuesday afternoon. First serve for the day is set for 4 p.m.
William Woods (8-11) will host College of the Ozarks (13-9) in the day's first match, while the Lady Bobcats will take on no. 16 Columbia College (10-4) in the second match. The American Midwest Conference foes will wrap-up the day's play with a non-conference match at 8 p.m.
The Owls are riding a two-game losing streak going into Tuesday's match, as they have dropped back-to-back home games to Culver-Stockton and Evangel University. WWU dropped a tough five-set match to Evangel last Tuesday, as the Owls held a two set lead, but couldn't close out the game before falling in five. William Woods was unable to win a set in its most recent match, as they fell to Culver-Stockton in straight sets last Thursday.
College of the Ozarks had a four-game winning streak recently snapped, as they fell to no. 5 MidAmerica Nazarene in four sets on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Bobcats recently defeated no. 10 Oklahoma Baptist in four sets, that victory kicked off their recent winning streak, as they have won four of their previous five matches entering Tuesday.
No. 16 Columbia College has been on a skid of late. The Lady Cougars have dropped two of their last three matches to schools outside of the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll. In fact, of the team's four losses, only one came against a Top-25 opponent. Columbia College recently seen its 159-conference match winning streak come to an end this season, as AMC newcomer Freed-Hardeman took down the Lady Cougars in five sets.
Match Notes
Facing Familiar Foes
Tuesday's first match will mark the third consecutive match that William Woods has faced an opponent that they have already played this season.
On Sept. 7, the Owls defeated College of the Ozarks 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23) at the Evangel University Tournament. Sophomore Emma Aschenbrenner collected a career-high 20 kills in the match, while fellow classmen Emily Becker and Lauren Rodewald posted 15 and 13 kills respectively.
Non-Conference Game
Though Columbia College and William Woods are both in the American Midwest Conference, Tuesday's match will be counted as a non-conference affair. Since Freed-Hardeman and Mid-Continent joined the conference, each team will play just one conference match against the rest of the AMC this season.
Anderson Advantage
Since the 2011 season, William Woods is 17-11 at home. This includes a 12-4 mark during the 2012 season.
Individual Streaks
Going into Tuesday's match the Owls outside hitter's Kristen Bauer and Emily Becker have collected double-digit kills in each of their last eight games.
National Rankings
Junior Abbie O'Mara ranks second in the NAIA in digs with 503. As a team, the Owls are the third-best dig team in the nation, amassing 1,476 digs on the year. The libero's 6.7 dig per match ratio is also second-highest ratio in the country.
O'Mara isn't the only Owls to be statically ranked inside the top 20, as freshman setter Sara Stevenson is 13th in the country in assists with 713. Her former high school teammate, Emily Becker, is 19th in the NAIA in kills with 253. Â
Conference Leaders
William Woods has collected the most digs and service aces in the AMC. The Owls have collected 1,476 digs, 495 more than Park University, who has the second-most in the conference. WWU has landed 139 service aces, five more than second place Lyon College.
Abbie O'Mara has amassed the most individual digs in the conference with her 503 digs. She has 257 more digs than Molly DeClue of Missouri Baptist, who is second in the conference.
Sara Stevenson also leads the AMC in assists with 713.
Knowing Your Opponent – College of the Ozarks
The Lady Bobcats recently dropped a 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 10-25, 20-25) match at no. 5 MidAmerica Nazarene on Saturday afternoon. The loss ended Ozarks four-game winning streak. During the streak, the Lady Bobcats collected a 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 15-25, 25-19) victory over no. 19 Oklahoma Baptist. Overall on the year, they are 13-9.
Just like William Woods, College of the Ozarks is an excellent defensive team, as they have collected the 10th-most digs in the nation. Hayley Blair's 432 digs are the third more in the NAIA, 71 digs behind Abbie O'Mara's 503 digs.
College of the Ozarks is also a top-15 team in kills and assists. The Lady Bobcats have the 11th-highest kill total in the NAIA. Sophomore Hannah Meadows' 241 kills leads the team and ranks 27th in the country in total kills. Ozarks also has amassed the 11th-most assists in the country with 935. Lindsay Boone leads the team in assists with 393.
Knowing Your Opponent – No. 16 Columbia College
The Lady Cougars come into Tuesday's match with a 10-4 overall record, while they are 3-1 in the AMC. Columbia College has dropped two of its last three matches, as they fell to Indiana Wesleyan 3-1 (26-24, 11-25, 20-25, 23-25) and Trinity Christian 3-2 (20-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-13, 9-15). In between those matches, they defeated Robert Morris 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 34-32).
Columbia College recently had its 159-conference match winning streak ended to AMC newcomer Freed-Hardeman. The Lady Cougars dropped a tough five-set match at Henderson, Tenn.
Trinity Ojo leads the team in kills with 149. The outside hitter has collected double-digit kills in nine of the team's 14 matches, including a career-high 18 kills against Stephens College on Sept. 9. Ojo is on a three-match stretch where she has tallied double-digit kills.
Lydie van Deursen's 532 assists is best on the team, while her 10.4 assists per match ratio is the 15th-highest in the NAIA.
Series At A Glance
William Woods and College of the Ozarks are an even 10-10-1 all-time. The Owls defeated the Lady Bobcats 3-1 on Sept. 7.
Columbia College owns a 52-25-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Lady Cougars took three matches from the Owls last season.
Check back with wwuowls.com for a full recap of these and every match during the 2013 season.
