BELLEVUE, Neb.—After splitting its season opening tri-match on Tuesday night, the William Woods University volleyball team hits the road for the first time this year, as the Owls travel west to play four games in two days at the Bellevue University Tournament.
The Owls dropped its first match on Tuesday, falling to William Penn University in four sets (17-25, 25-13, 23-25, 21-25), but battled back from a 2-1 set deficit against Central Methodist University in the nightcap and went on to win its first game on the 2014 year in five sets (25-11, 21-25, 18-25, 27-25, 15-10).
"I think we learned about our team, as the freshman got their feet wet and they were able to adapt to the college volleyball aspect and speed," said head coach
Monica Herschelman. "I think we can learn from the first game and winning in the second against a tough Central Methodist team and use that to our advantage to propel us for these upcoming games. This weekend gets tougher as it goes on and we are looking forward to seeing where we are at," she added.
Freshman
Abbi McKnelly, a Jefferson City, Missouri, native, led the Owls offensively in the tri-match, totaling a team-high 30 kills and having an attack percentage of .359, while also contributing 19 digs.
Abby Ferguson, another freshman, also had a strong debut, ranking fourth on the team in kills (18), while freshman setter
Brittney Engelbrecht added 97 assists.
"I think Abbi (McKnelly) really surprised a lot of people on Tuesday," said Herschelman. "I knew she had it in her, as she has not even reached her potential yet and I am looking forward to seeing her game grow."
She added, "Abby (Ferguson) and Brittney (Engelbrecht) also did a great job for us. When you have three freshman on the floor, pretty much at all times, it takes some great upperclassmen to keep the balance and flow going. Overall, it was a great team effort."
On Friday, the Owls will start the tournament off at 1 p.m. against Clarke College, a team that is coming off an impressive 31-8 overall record last year and whom won its home opener in a five-set match against Saint Xavier (22-25, 27-25, 25-27, 25-21, 18-16) on Wednesday.
Three players reached the double-digit kill plateau for the Crusaders and they were led by junior outside hitter Emily Wineinger, totaling 16 kills and an attack percentage of .343.
Also having an impressive game was Elle Kosciuk, who finished second on the team with 15 kills, but has earned a team-best .343 attack percentage. Senior setter Corrin Larkin totaled 69 assists, while Molly Bender led the Crusaders with 23 digs.
At 7 p.m. on Friday night, the Owls will take on a Bellevue University team that is currently receiving votes in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 Coaches' Poll, after finishing last year with a 34-9 overall record, finishing a perfect 13-0 in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) and making an appearance at the NAIA National Volleyball Championship.
This season, however, the Bruins are off to a rocky 0-4 start, while also looking to win its first set on the season, as they have been swept by some tough opponents to start the year that include No. 22-ranked Vanguard, No. 19 The Master's, (RV) Cal State San Marcos and No. 8 Biola.
Symone Faulkner has paced the Bruins offense thus far, totaling a team-high 43 kills in four matches. Rachel Wald, meanwhile, is second on the team in kills (21) and third in digs (22), while Beth Walker has totaled 99 assists and 30 digs.
On Saturday at 11 a.m., the Owls will square off against (RV) Baker University, who are coming off a 23-9 overall record (7-2 Heart of America Athletic Conference) in 2013. This year, the Wildcats started off 2-0, as they defeated Friends University in straight sets and Texas Wesleyan in four.
A day later, however, the Wildcats fell to No. 1-ranked Texas at Brownsville in straight sets and No. 14 Oklahoma Baptist, also in three sets.
The Wildcats have totaled 143 kills in 2014 and are led by Shannon Bond's 27 kills and her 2.45 attack percentage in 11 sets played. Setter Hannah Bettge leads the squad with 80 assists, while Sara Slater accounts for a team-best 91 of the teams' 223 digs.
The finale of the Bellevue University Tournament will be a test for WWU, as at 3 p.m., the Owls will take on No. 5-ranked Northwestern College.
The Red Raiders look to build off a 2013 season, that saw them finish the year 36-4, win the Great Plains Athletic Conference regular season title with a perfect 16-0 record and get all the way to the round of 12 before being eliminated at the NAIA Volleyball National Championship last season.
In 2014, Northwestern is off to a 3-1 start, with its lone loss coming at the hands of No. 6-ranked Grand View University back in August 22
nd in four sets.
Leading the way for the Red Raiders is reigning first team NAIA All-American Kaitlin Floerchinger, who has totaled 62 kills in four matches, has an attack percentage of .338 and is second on the team with 52 digs.
Another first team NAIA All-American returning for another season is setter Brooke Fessler, who has 165 assists on the season, while Alexis Bart leads the Red Raiders with 73 digs.
"This is the best tournament of the Labor Day weekend," said Herschelman. "We are kind of one of those teams' that can go in, under the radar and make some noise. We are playing some big teams like Bellevue and Northwestern and I think the Bellevue match will be a good one, as it will be a hostile environment, but will be fun to see how everyone responds to the loud crowd."
She added, "It will be important that we learn and grow each play, while also challenging each other to get better. I am excited that we can come out with some wins and keep getting better for American Midwest Conference play that is coming up."
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com tomorrow night for a full recap and scores from Nebraska.
