FULTON, Mo. – The William Woods University volleyball team looks to pick up its eighth win in AMC action on Thursday night as they host Stephens College. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Anderson Arena.
 
About Stephens
The Stars enter the contest 3-18 overall and 1-6 in AMC play. Their last win came on October 4th when they defeated Harris-Stowe 3-0. Their game against the Owls will be their first time playing since Oct. 9th when they lost to Crowley's Ridge College, 3-2.
 
Stephens has tallied in 641 kills so far this season. Danielle Kirk leads the Stars with 298 total kills so far this season. Elissa Slizoski follows with 130. Kirk is the only Stars player with a national ranking. She currently holds the 11th spot overall in the nation for kills per game averaging four per contest.
 
Last Time Against the Stars
Last season WWU matched up against Stephens on October 19th. The Owls walked away with 3-1 victory. Kate Doerhoff led the Owls with 16 kills while Tory Wiley followed with 13. Brittney Engelbrecht led the way with 39 assist in the contest. Jessica Jensen led with 19 digs in the game.
 
All-time vs. Stephens
The first time these two teams faced each other was on January 12, 1974. Stephens defeated the Owls 2-1. They met again that same season on January 15th and tied 1-1.  Currently William Woods holds a 28-5-1 series lead over the Stars.
 
About William Woods
The Owls (17-11, 7-1 AMC) enter the contest coming off three straight losses in the Columbia College Tournament. One of those losses came to No. 21 Central Methodist in which the Owls were defeated 3-0. They look to get back on the winning side of things Thursday night.
 
William Woods has been playing very well in AMC games. They are currently tied with Columbia (who is their only AMC loss) for third place.
 
The Owls have recorded 1,137 kills this season and have only allowed their opponents 985. WWU has three players with 200 plus kills on the season. Tory Wiley leads with 255, Kate Doerhoff has 217 and Rayleen Rivera follows with 201.  WWU currently ranks 21st overall in the nation in total blocks recording 199 on the season.
 
Rayleen Rivera and Jaclyn Zahn are the only two Owl players with national rankings. Rivera ranks 7th overall in the nation for total service aces (53) and 24th overall in service aces per game averaging .54. Zahn ranks 26th overall in total blocks recording 96 so far this season.
 
At Anderson Arena
Last season the Owls finished 8-2 in Anderson Arena. They are currently 8-2 at home and have a chance to win their 9th with a victory over Stephens.
 
AMC Tournament Spot Clinched
Entering the final couple of weeks of the season, the Owls have already clinched an AMC Postseason Tournament berth. The Owls are one of three others (Park, Missouri Baptist, Columbia) to clinch a spot.
 
What's Next
Following the contest against the Stars, WWU hits the road for two games. WWU will travel to Missouri Baptist University on Oct. 23 and go to College of the Ozarks on Oct. 25th. Both games start at 7 p.m.