MARSHALL, Mo. – The William Woods University volleyball team split its contests at Missouri Valley College on Saturday afternoon. The Owls defeated Avila University, 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-16), before falling to No. 22 Missouri Valley College 3-0, (25-17, 25-19, 25-18).
 
WWU returns to action on Wednesday, November 1st when they host Park University in American Midwest Conference action. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
 
WWU vs. Avila
Game Flow
The Owls shot right out the gate in the first set with going on a seven-point run taking a 7-0 lead. During this stretch, kills came from Kira Krebill, Tory Wiley, and Brittney Engelbrecht. Kameryn Bellinger also served up an ace and Engelbrecht and Krebill added a block to dominate early on. The Eagles would slowly chip away at the Owls lead, but the Owls would continue to hold a hefty lead and after another kill by Krebill, the Owls found themselves ahead, 13-8. The Eagles continued to cut the lead and after a kill by Rayleen Rivera, the Owls would have a seven-point lead, 18-11. The Eagles would hit the Owls with a last-minute surge, going on a three-point run 23-17. The Owls would be able to end the first set with a kill from Krebill, 25-18.

The second set would go point for point until the Owls were finally able to breakaway with a four-point lead, 10-6, under the service of Engelbrecht. The next few points were back and forth kills and the Owls had a, 12-8 lead. After kills by Krebill and Wiley, the Owls found themselves with another seven-point lead, 16-9. The Eagles battled back as they cut the lead to four, 16-12. The Owls went on another streak when Melanie Kala came to serve. Rivera and Abby Ferguson would add kills of their own to make the set score 20-13. The Owls would be able to come out of set two after a kill from Remie Johnson, 25-16.

The Owls would then cause a déjà vu effect as the third set started out much like the first, with a five-point lead, 5-0. The Eagles would be able to squeeze out two points before the Owls went on another streak under the service of Jessica Jensen. A kill by Wiley and Ferguson as well as a block by Ferguson and Englebrecht would set the Owls with a lead of 10-2. The Owls would continue to swing away and found themselves with a set score of 20-7. The Eagles came back and scored eight-points before the Owls would answer with a kill by Wiley, 23-15. The Owls were able to power through and take set three, 25-16, and the match.
By the Numbers
9 – Tory Wiley led the Owls with nine kills in the match
8 – Abby Ferguson and Kira Krebill followed with eight kills each
10 – WWU had 10 blocks against the Eagles
3 – The Owls had three service aces in the match
18 – Jessica Jensen had a game-high 18 digs against Avila
33 – Brittney Engelbrecht dished out a game-high 33 assists
4 – Abby Ferguson, Brittney Engelbrecht and Kira Krebill had four blocks each in the win
.274 – WWU collected a hitting percentage of .274 against Avila
 
WWU vs. Missouri Valley
Game Flow
The Owls started off slow in the second match as the Vikings took an early four-point lead, 4-0. Kate Doerhoff would get the Owls on the board with a kill putting the Owls down three, 4-1. After a service error and a block by the Vikings, they would take another lead, stretching the set score to 8-2.  The Owls battled and after a kill by Ferguson, the Owls would cut the lead down to four, 10-6. The Owls continued to fight as the Vikings continued to keep a steady lead until they ran away with the set, 20-12. The Owls would squeeze in kills by Ferguson, Doerhoff, and Rivera before the Vikings were at their set point, but would fall in the first set, 25-17.

The Vikings hit the ground running in the second set as they scored the first four points, 4-0. Wiley added a kill and the Owls took advantage of Vikings mishaps, and would cut the lead down to 4-3. The set would then go point for point until the Vikings took the lead, 18-15. Kills by Brooke Reed and Rivera kept the Owls moving, 19-17. The Owls would be able to add two points before the Vikings took the second set, 25-19.

In set three, the Owls came out with two kills from Wiley and Doerhoff, but the Vikings quickly answered back, 4-2. The set would bounce back and forth until the Vikings took a four-point lead, 10-6. The Owls cut the lead to three, but would then fall behind quickly after three kills and two service aces, 16-7. Wiley and Johnson would add kills to their tally and Ferguson and Johnson added a block, 18-11. The Vikings kept their steady lead as the Owls slowly chipped away at the lead, but would find themselves down by eight-points, 23-15. A block by Wiley and Krebill and a kill by Johnson would get possession back for the Owls but that would not be enough as the Vikings took the set and match, 25-18.

By the Numbers
9 – Rayleen Rivera led the Owls with nine kills
4 – WWU had four blocks in the match
28 – Brittney Engelbrecht had 28 assists in the match
2 – The Owls had two aces in the match
13 – Jessica Jensen had 13 digs in the match
.184 – WWU had .184 hitting percentage against No. 22 Missouri Valley