FULTON, Mo.—After collecting its fourth American Midwest Conference (AMC) win on Tuesday night, the William Woods University volleyball team will look to tally another AMC victory on Thursday, as the Owls host Lindenwood University-Belleville. First-serve is set for 7 p.m.
The Owls (13-9; 4-0 AMC), are coming off an impressive performance against St. Louis College of Pharmacy on Tuesday, as the Owls swept past the Eutectics in three sets (25-15, 25-11, 25-19).
Stephanie Davis led the Owls with 10 kills and an attack percentage of .714, both being match-highs, while freshman
Abbi McKnelly added nine kills and
Kristen Bauer and
Abby Ferguson, each contributed seven. Junior
Emily Becker, a Belleville, Illinois, native, played well on both sides of the net, having six kills and 12 digs.
Freshman setter
Brittney Engelbrecht added 35 assists and six digs, while senior
Abbie O'Mara totaled a match-high 14 digs.
With the win, the Owls have now won six out of its last seven, with five of those victories being straight set sweeps (3-0). During the last three weeks of play, WWU has totaled 282 kills, an attack percentage of .232, 44 service aces and 381 digs.
"I think we are just playing as a unit and establishing our flow," said head coach
Monica Herschelman. "Our non-conference schedule has really helped us, as we have been able to put teams' away fast and we are excited to see how things go the next couple of weeks, as it is nice to be at home for some conference matches."
On the offensive side of the net, McKnelly is leading the team with 65 kills and an attack percentage of .336, while Bauer and Ferguson have each added 49 respectively. Becker, meanwhile, has totaled 47 kills, while
Cierra Merz has contributed 26.
Engelbrecht is averaging 10.32 assists per set, giving her 227 the last seven games, while O'Mara has totaled 104 digs (4.73 d/set).
As a team this season, the Owls rank in the top 15 in the NAIA in five categories, which include, fifth in digs (1,488), seventh in service aces (154), eighth in kills (1,020), 13
th in digs per game (17.93) and 14
th in total assists (916).
Individually, McKnelly leads the Owls with 221 kills and has added 155 digs in 22 matches. Bauer is second on the team, having 193 kills, while Becker has totaled 188 kills and leads WWU with 33 service aces.
Engelbrecht has totaled 789 assists, which is fifth best in the NAIA, while O'Mara has gathered 379 digs, placing her 19
th in the NAIA.
Lindenwood-Belleville (9-7; 2-2 AMC), meanwhile, has dropped its last two AMC games, as the Lady Lynx fell to No. 18-ranked Missouri Baptist University in four sets (3-1) and No. 7-ranked Columbia College, also in four (3-1).
On the season, the Lady Lynx are led by Chelsi Hummert, having 145 kills, while also adding 119 digs defensively. Stephanie Cathcart has added 150 kills, which is second-best on the team, while Victoria Johnson has totaled 129 kills and 154 digs.
Lindenwood-Belleville has totaled 870 assists on the year, with Kacey Wahligh having a team-high 308 assists, while Hummert has earned 241. On the defensive side of the net, Taylor Boyer leads the team with 298 digs.
"This game is going to be our first test of conference games," said Herschelman. "We are expecting a nice crowd to come and support us, while we just need to continue and play our game."
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com tomorrow night for a full recap and scores from Anderson Arena.
