BELLEVILLE, Ill. – After dropping the first set of the night, the William Woods University volleyball team bounced back to capture the 3-1 (15-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-16) win over Lindenwood University-Belleville.
The Owls (14-9; 4-0 AMC), remain perfect in the American Midwest Conference with its third consecutive win, as the team collected a game-high 44 kills and ended the night with an attack percentage of .142.
Despite capturing the win, WWU had a rocky start in the first set, as the Lady Lynx jumped out to a 13-3 lead, after a Crocker kill, forcing the Owls to call a timeout.
After the timeout, WWU would go on a 4-0 run of its own, after consecutive LU-Belleville attack errors and a kill from
Emily Becker. The Owls would cut the lead down to four (16-12), after Becker earned another kill. However, that would be as close as WWU would get, as the Lady Lynx closed the first set with an impressive 10-3 run, giving them the 25-15 set one win.
The second set, WWU came out with the momentum, taking an early 12-6 lead, after a kill from
Stephanie Davis.
Later in the set, LU-Belleville called a timeout to try to regroup, but that didn't change the outcome, as the Owls didn't back down. WWU went on 10-4 run to take the second set (25-15) and tying the match up at 1-1.
In the third set, it was back and forth scoring from the start,
Abby Ferguson would tie the set up 13-13 for the Owls with a kill from
Brittney Engelbrecht. The Owls would gain some breathing wrong and push its lead up to 20-16, after a Becker kill.
Although, an attack error from WWU would open the door for Lindenwood and let them get within one of the Owls (20-19) but despite the Lady Lynxes comeback tactics, the Owls kept its composure and secured the third set with a 25-21 win.
Just like the second set, the Owls came out strong in the fourth set, jumping out to a quick lead, as
Lauren Rodewald's kill down the right side would make it an early 6-2 lead for WWU.
LU-Belleville would put the pressure on WWU, by getting a service ace and a timely kill from Herndon, to make the score 13-14.
Shortly after, the Owls offensive got a boast of energy with a Becker kill, which ignited a 12-3 run down the stretch to take the 25-16 set and match victory.
Becker, the Belleville, Illinois native, paced the way for William Woods with her 11
th double-double on the year, collecting 13 kills and 15 digs, while Davis chipped in eight kills and
Cierra Merz and Ferguson each added six kills a piece. Engelbrecht handed out a game-high 34 assists, while gathering eight digs.
The Owls have a quick turn around, as the team gets right back on the court tomorrow, with a meeting against Harris-Stowe State University but this time will be in front of its home crowd. The first serve is set for 7:00 p.m. inside Anderson Arena.
The Hornets enter this match-up with a 0-5 record on the season, still looking for its first win in AMC play. Harris-Stowe has had a bumpy start to its season, not winning a set on the year, as its last outing ended with a 3-0 deficit to Stephens College .
Markell Jones leads the team with eight kills, while Tiarra McFarland has handed out a team-high 53 assists and Kyesha Lee has complied 14 digs in the teams five games.
Fans check back on wwuowls.com tomorrow evening for a full recap and score from the Owls second AMC match-up of the week.
Â
