OFFICIAL SITE OF WILLIAM WOODS UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

FULTON, Mo. – The William Woods University volleyball team continues to stride for perfection in American Midwest Conference (AMC) play, as the Owls cruised past Central Baptist College on Saturday in straight sets (25-18, 25-23, 25-15).
 
The Owls (17-9; 7-0 AMC), pushed its win streak up to a new season-high of six, while collecting its seventh AMC win on the season.
 
Before the game, WWU had a very special honoree, recognizing  Grace Herschelman (niece of head coach Monica Herschelman) who is affected by Infantile Neuroaxsonal Dystrophy and the awareness of this genetic disorder that only occurs in about 30 children 30 wide.
 
In set one, the Owls came out in their purple jerseys for Grace, taking the momentum with a 12-6 lead, after a Caitlyn Schmelzer service ace which forced the Mustangs to call its first time-out.
 
After the timeout, WWU committed two attack errors to open the door up for the Mustangs but then shortly closed it, going on a 13-6 run and a kill from Lauren Rodewald would end the first set with a 25-18 score, in the Owls favor.
 
Down 1-0 in the match, Central Baptist came out in the second set strong, as the team made the Owls earn every point they got, making it a back and forth battle for both teams.
 
The Mustangs took a 10-8 lead after a service ace that found the back corner of the court past the Owls back row. However, senior Rachel Frabotta stepped up and gave the team a boost of energy with a huge kill down the right side of the court, to regain the lead for the Owls at 16-15.
 
CBC tied the set up at 19-19 after a WWU attack error, but that would make the Owls get back to work and go on a 5-0 run to make the score 24-19. With set point advantage to the Owls, the Mustangs weren't going down quietly, collecting three consecutive kills to get within one of William Woods but that would be as close as they would get and after a service error, WWU would secure the 25-23 set two win.
 
In the third set, it was all WWU from the start, as the Owls took an early 5-0 lead, led with back-to-back kills from Frabotta. The offensive surge didn't let up from the Owls, as they jumped to a 12-2 lead and then went on to take the 25-15 set and match win over CBC.
 
Frabotta guided the Owls, as she recorded nine kills on the day, while Rodewald and Emily Becker each chipped in six kills. Brittney Engelbrecht handed out 22 assists, while Shelby Hinshaw collected a team-high 13 digs.
 
CBC tallied 20 kills as a team, while Gloria Bell paced the team with six kills and the Mustangs libero Lenee Gibson, gathered a game-high 15 digs.
The Owls get back to the court next Tuesday night, as the team will travel down 1-70 to square off with the No. 10^th ranked Columbia College for a huge AMC showdown scheduled at 7:00 p.m.
 
Fans check back on wwuowls.com for a full preview of this AMC rival. 

Tweet ##Owls_VB