OLATHE, Kan.— The William Woods University volleyball team split day one action of the MidAmerica Nazarene Rachel Magana Memorial Tournament on Friday, as the Owls defeated Benedictine College in straight sets (25-20, 25-20, 25-21), but despite its efforts, they fell 0-3 to No. 9-ranked Evangel University (14-25, 19-25, 23-25).
William Woods University 3 Benedictine College 0 In the first set, it was the Ravens (4-9; 0-4 HAAC), putting WWU (10-7; 1-0 AMC), in an early hole, as they jumped out to a 15-10 lead, after a kill from Elise Fulcher.
The Owls, however, responded, going on an 11-2 run, capped off by a service ace from
Caitlyn Schmelzer, which gave the team a 21-17 advantage. WWU was able to finish off the Ravens in the set with a kill from
Lauren Rodewald, giving WWU a 1-0 lead, after taking set number one, 25-20. In the set, WWU posted 14 kills, while the Ravens were limited to just eight and an attack percentage of .154.
The second set was more of a back-and-forth outing early one, as the two teams' met up at 13-13, after an attack error from the Owls. The Owls would regain the lead on the next point, as
Emily Becker tallied a kill, giving them a 14-13 lead.
The Owls would continue to maintain its marginal advantage as the set wore on and were able to gain some breathing room at 22-18, after
Rachel Frabotta collected another kill. The Owls would finish off the Ravens 25-20 in the second set, as freshman
Tory Wiley added one of her season-high 14 kills, to give WWU the win.
In the third set, after battling point-for-point yet again, the Owls put some distance between themselves and the Ravens, as they took a 16-12 lead, after Becker smashed another kill. The Ravens wouldn't go away that easily though, as they cut the deficit to 17-16, after consecutive service aces from Taylor Garner.
WWU, was able to close out the set and the match on a 8-5 run, as they were led by Wiley getting three kills and Becker finishing the match off with her 14
th kill, to give WWU a 3-0 win over the Ravens to start the MNU Tournament.
The Owls totaled 48 kills on the afternoon, 20 of which came in the second set and they were led by the duo of Wiley and Becker, who combined for 28 and had just seven errors between them. Rodewald added eight, while Frabotta contributed six kills. Becker also had a strong game on the defensive side of the net, having 10 digs.
Sophomore
Brittney Engelbrecht, had a match-high 41 assists, while defensively, the team totaled 44 digs, with
Shelby Hinshaw leading the way with 11.
No. 9 Evangel University 3 William Woods University 0 In the first set, it was the Crusaders (18-0; 4-0 HAAC), holding the early lead at 12-7, after a service ace from Allie Dunton. A kill from Rodewald would put the score at 12-8, but Evangel would go on a 12-5 run, to take a 24-13 and go on for the 25-14 victory in the first set.
Evangel played a near perfect set, totaling 16 kills and having an attack percentage of .536, while WWU, had 11 kills and four errors for an attack percentage of .233.
In the second set, after an early battle, it was Evangel taking a 15-9 lead, after a kill from Micah Guiot. After an attack error and a service ace from Engelbrecht, WWU was down just 15-11. The Crusaders, however, went on a 5-1 run, to take a 20-12 lead.
WWU would continue to play hard, as they went on a 5-1 run of its own, as
Cierra Merz's kill made it a 21-17 outing. Despite its comeback attempt, the Crusaders were able to fend off the Owls and take the second set 25-19.
Evangel displayed another strong set, totaling 17 kills, one error and a match-high attack percentage of .552, while WWU, added 12 kills and four errors.
In the third set, it was the Owls this time around controlling the majority of the first part of the set, as they held an 8-6 lead after a Crusaders error. The two teams' would then meet up at 12-all, but WWU would go on a 4-0 run, capped off by a kill from Merz, to take a 16-12 lead over the ninth-ranked Crusaders.
Evangel would recover and tie the game back up at 18-all, after a kill from Haley Watson. The two teams' would go point-for-point, but WWU would take a 22-21 lead, after a
Stephanie Davis kill, which forced EU to take a timeout.
Out of the timeout, the Crusaders went on a 3-0 run, to take a 24-22 lead, which then forced WWU to take a timeout of its own. A kill by Davis would make it a 24-23 outing, but Evangel was able to take the set and the match on a kill by Watson, winning 25-23.
The Owls had 36 kill in the match and were led by Becker, as the Belleville, Illinois, native, totaled nine kills and contributed 11 digs. Davis had a good game with seven kills and zero errors, while Rodewald, Merz and Frabotta, had six, five and four kills respectively. Engelbrecht totaled 29 assists, while defensively,
Melanie Kala had a team-high 13 digs.
Evangel, meanwhile, had 48 kills and were led by Guiot with 12 and an attack percentage of .357. Jorie Garrett had eight kills, while Heather Gahm and Morgan Kensinger totaled seven kills each.
Maddie Baumann and Chole Hadley combined for 35 assists, while Morgan Smith led the way with 11 digs.
The team will close out the MNU Tournament tomorrow, as they take on Baker University at 10 a.m., followed by host and No. 23-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene at 3 p.m.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com tomorrow night for a full recap and scores from Olathe, Kansas.
