FULTON, Mo. – In its 2015 home opener, the William Woods University volleyball team looks to snap its four game skid, as the team hosts American Midwest Conference (AMC) foe Hannibal-LaGrange University. The first serve is set for 7:00 p.m. inside Anderson Arena.
The Owls (3-5) open its AMC part of play coming off a 0-4 weekend at the Bellevue University Tournament. On the first day of the tournament WWU fell to host, Bellevue University in three (18-25, 18-25, 28-30), while later in the day dropping a five-set thriller to Mayville State (25-20, 24-26, 25-20, 23-25, 20-22). Looking to turn things around in the second day, the Owls started rocky, as Baker University defeated the team in straight sets (17-25, 13-25, 12-25) before losing in four to the No.24 ranked Jamestown University (25-22, 20-25, 16-25, 16-25).
Emily Becker lead the team on the weekend with 57 kills, meanwhile Stephanie Davis recorded a career-high 28 kills against Mayville State, which helped her end the weekend with 43 kills and Brittney Engelbrecht amassed 190 assists at the tournament for the Owls.
On the year, Becker paces WWU in the kills category, as the senior has totaled 94 in eight matches, which is fourth best in the AMC , while her 3.4 kills per set also ranks her fourth in the AMC standings. Davis, is having a stellar start to her junior year, as the Manchester, Missouri native leads the team and is ranked seventh in the AMC with an attack percentage of .272, while recording 73 kills in eight matches. The Owls setter, Brittney Engelbrecht has handed out 283 assists on the year, which is good enough for second in the AMC.
Defensively, Shelby Hinshaw paces the back row, as the libero has totaled 142 digs on the year, which puts her right behind the AMC leader Haley Pouliezos, who has 184 digs in 10 matches. Freshman, defensive specialist, Melanie Kala has proved that she can make key plays in the back row, as the Newark, Illinois native, has collected 71 digs, while leading the team with 11 aces.
Hannibal-LaGrange University is coming off a season that saw the Trojans end with a 6-26 overall record and a 3-6 AMC record. When these two teams' squared off last season on November 4th, the Owls cruised past HLG in three straight sets (25-18, 25-13, 25-16), as Becker was a key impact with her 10 kills and 10 digs, double-double performance.
The Trojans' 2015 season is off to a rocky start, as the team is currently still looking for its first win on the season (0-5). Kristina Schellentrager leads the team offensively, as she has totaled 32 kills on the year, while Katerina Matsouka and Shelby Maupin have contributed 20 and 17 kills, respectively. Schellentrager also has recorded a team-high 43 digs, while Emily Pfieffer has collected 82 assists.
The Owls go into Tuesday's match-up looking to bounce back after its weekend play at the Bellevue Tournament and in hopes to start its conference play strong.
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com for a full recap and scores from the AMC showdown on Tuesday night.
