FULTON, Mo. – After nearly pulling a huge upset against the No.24-ranked Grand View University on senior night, this past Saturday, The William Woods University volleyball team closes out its regular season with a match-up against the defending NAIA National Champions Park University on Thursday night.
 
Things started out very well for the Owls (22-13, 9-2 AMC), as WWU jumped out and took a 2-0 match advantage over the Vikings, with a 25-22 win in the first set and a thrilling 30-28 set two victory. However, GVU proved why they are ranked in the top 25 in the nation, as they were able to respond and grab the final three sets, to steal the 3-2 match victory over the fending Owls.
 
Emily Becker, filled up the stat sheet, as the senior led the team with 18 kills, while also collecting eight digs and six blocks. Fellow senior, Cierra Merz also had herself a game, as she finished second on the team with 11 kills. Setter Brittney Englebrecht, totaled 41 assists, while defensively, junior Shelby Hinshaw led the back line with 17 digs and Kendra Vernatti contributed 14 digs.
 
With the regular season coming to an end, Becker paces the way for the team, posting a remarkable 407 kills, averaging 3.3 kills per set, while earning a .274 attack percentage. She also leads the Owls with 93 blocks, while coming in third on the team with 336 digs. The senior's 407 kills on the year, is good enough for third best in the American Midwest Conference  and ranks her 28^th in the nation.
 
Stephanie Davis is another go to player, offensively for WWU, as the junior has totaled 309 kills, with a team-high attack percentage of  .284. She comes in second on the team with 89 blocks.
 
Engelbrecht, the Owls setter, continues to shine on the court, as the sophomore has handed out an impressive 1,244 assists on the season, which is ranked first in the AMC, while raking her eighth in NAIA.
 
Defensively, the Owls have been just has solid as its offensive, as Libero Shelby Hinshaw leads the back row with 424 digs on the year, while freshman Melanie Kala has gathered 338 in just her young career.
 
The Owls, look to snap its three game skid and capture a much needed upset in its final regular season home match against the Pirates, as Park University enters the match-up with a 22-7 overall record, while posting an identical AMC record as WWU (9-2).
 
In the Pirates last five games, the team have dropped two important matches, first falling in a five set thriller to the No.5-ranked Columbia College, before dropping a big rival game to the No.1-ranked Missouri Baptist University in straight sets. However, Park bounced backed to its winning ways with two three set sweeps against Harris-Stowe State University and Stephens College.
 
On the year, the team has complied 1,345 kills, which sits in fourth place in the AMC, while being ranked eighth in the nation with a hitting percentage of  .270. Daniela Duarte guides the Pirates offensively, with 344 kills and an attack percentage of .242, while she is second on the team with 255 digs. Raissa Herczfeld, is another person the Owls will have to keep an eye on, as she comes in right behind Duarte in the kill category with 324 on the year, while also leading the team with 260 digs.
The Pirates setter, Danna Gomes, has handed out a 1,088 assists on the year and has been a threat from the service line, with a team-high 47 aces.
 
WWU know they will have their hands full with not only playing its fourth consecutive top-25 team but also having its end of the season seeding come down to this final AMC match-up, with a win the Owls jump past Park and capture the third seed, however a loss will put the Owls in fourth seed for the AMC post season tournament.
 
Fans check back on wwuowls.com tomorrow night for a full recap and score from this nightcap.

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