FULTON, Mo.-The William Woods University volleyball team starts American Midwest Conference (AMC) play this weekend, as the Owls will host Williams Baptist College on Friday night inside Anderson Arena. First-serve is set for 7 p.m.

The Owls (8-8), are coming off a seventh place finish at the Ashford University Tournament this past weekend, where the team went 2-2, as they defeated St. Ambrose University in four sets (3-1) and Central Methodist University in three (3-0), but fell to Cardinal Stritch in four (3-1) and No. 5-ranked Northwestern College in a heartbreaking five-set (3-2) match.

The team totaled 231 kills over the weekend and were led by freshman Abbi McKnelly earning 61 kills and an attack percentage of .298, which got the Jefferson City, Missouri, native, named to the All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the Invitational.

"I think Ashford was a good tournament for us, as we were able to go five sets with the No. 5-ranked team in the nation," said head coach Monica Herschelman. "That match against Northwestern, really helped us gain confidence, as we have been playing great volleyball as of late. Obviously, McKnelly being named to the All-Tournament team is a great honor, but she couldn't have done it without the team."

There was also numerous individual and team records set in Clinton, Iowa, for WWU volleyball, but the biggest honor, happened for senior Kristen Bauer, as she became the programs' all-time leader in kills against Cardinal Stritch, giving her 1,187 in her four seasons with WWU.

The St. Charles, Missouri, native, broke the record of 1,173, which was set by Lauren Fleming (2008-2011). Emily Becker, meanwhile, also joined Bauer on the 1,000 career kill club recently, as she surpassed the mark against MidAmerica Nazarene on September 11^th and now has 1,048 in her three years with the Owls.

"When I started recruiting Kristen (Bauer), I knew she was going to be a special player," said Herschelman. "But when you put Becker with her, it is a pretty special combination to watch on the floor together. These two players are very special to our program, as they have built a lot of things, but they also have a great team that supports them and puts them into that role, where they can reach these monumental moments."

She added, "I am proud of them, I still want more out of those two, as any coach would, but they have really put their mark on the program and WWU volleyball as a whole, so we are excited where they can go from here."

Individually, against Central Methodist, McKnelly totaled 16 kills, which is the third highest mark in a three set match, while also against CMU, freshman setter Brittney Engelbrecht totaled 40 assists, which is the third most in a three set match.

Against Cardinal Stritch, senior libero Abbie O'Mara set the record for the most digs in a four set game (41), while the amount is also the fifth most digs in a match.

As a team, however, the Owls totaled 98 digs against St. Ambrose, making it the fifth most in a four set match, but WWU followed that up with an even better performance against Cardinal Stritch, totaling an eye-popping 119 digs, which is the second most digs, also in a four set match.

On the season, the team is led by McKnelly's 172 kills, ranking her fourth in the AMC and 41^st in the NAIA. Bauer and Becker have totaled 152 and 147 respectively, while freshman Abby Ferguson has earned 110.

Engelbrecht, a Jefferson City, Missouri, native, has contributed 604 assists on the year, putting her now eighth overall in the NAIA and second in the AMC. Defensively, the Owls have totaled 1,193 digs, which is first in the AMC and second best in the NAIA.

O'Mara leads the squad in the defensive category, ranking first in the AMC and 18^th in the NAIA with 292 digs. The Owls, as a team, also rank high in the NAIA in other categories, which include coming in at sixth overall in digs per game (18.64), 11^th in service aces (114), 12^th in kills (785), 14^th in assists (702), 24^th in blocks (120.5) and 46^th in kills per game (12.27).

Under first year head coach Lee Moore, Williams Baptist (11-3) started off the 2014 season on fire, going 8-0, before falling in straight sets (3-0) against Ouachita Baptist on September 11^th. Since then, the team has gone 3-2, with most recently snapping its two-game skid, as they defeated Crowley's Ridge College in three (3-0).

On the season, Kaillie Ralston leads the team with 109 kills, while Harley Strayhorn is second on the team, having 102. Setter Jordan Harvey has totaled a team-high 237 assists, while teammate Taylor Barton, has also added 126.

Defensively, WBC has 439 digs in 13 matches and Shelby Upshaw holds the highest amount on the year, earning 90 digs.

"Conference is where we start our process to get that National Championship bid," Herschelman said. "So we really have to focus on our side of the court and come ready to play, as we only get one chance at these teams' now. We have to make sure we are finishing out games immediately when we have the opportunity and don't take any team lightly when they step on the floor, so we need to just play our game and execute at a high level."

Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com on Friday night for a full recap and scores from inside Anderson Arena.