FULTON, Mo. – The William Woods University volleyball team looks for their 13th straight victory Tuesday night as they face conference rivals No. 3 Columbia. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Anderson Arena.
 
About Columbia
The Cougars (22-2, 6-1 AMC) enter the contest coming off a 3-2 loss to No. 5 Missouri Baptist that took place on Oct. 4th and stopped Columbia's 18 game win streak. They currently sit in fourth place in the American Midwest Conference.
 
Senior Caroline Clifford who was named 2017-18 NAIA Second Team All-American returns for the Cougars this year. In their loss to Missouri Baptist, she recorded a season-high 19 kills and had a .293 hitting percentage.
 
Columbia currently holds nine national rankings. They rank second overall in hitting percentage (.30), 11th overall in service aces per game (2), 14th overall in total service aces per game (167) and 22nd overall in kills per game (13). They also rank 24th overall in total blocks (170), 24th overall in blocks per game (2), 29th overall in assists per game (12), 42nd in total kills (1040) and 46th overall in total assist (942).
 
The Cougars also have four players with national rankings of their own. Manuela Vargas currently ranks fifth overall in assist per game averaging 11 a night. She also ranks 13th overall in total assists tailing 826 on the season. Ariadne Borges ranks 23rd overall in blocks per game averaging 1 a contest. She also holds the 31st spot in the nation in total blocks with 83 so far. Kiersten Anderson currently ranks 24th overall in total service aces (38). She also ranks 38th overall in service aces per game (.51) and 47th overall in hitting percentage (.30). Rounding out ranked Cougar players is Caroline Clifford who currently ranks 25th overall in kills per game (4), 26th overall in hitting percentage (.32) and 27th overall in total kills (287).
 
Last Time Against the Cougars
The last time William Woods saw Columbia was on November 10, 2017 when the Cougars won 3-2 in the second round of the 2017 AMC Conference Tournament. The Owls also faced Columbia early in the 2017 season on October 17th when they were defeated 3-1.
 
All-Time vs. Columbia
The Owls and Cougars have faced 81 times. Columbia currently holds a 55-25-1 series lead. The last time William Woods beat Columbia was on January 14, 1989 when the Owls won 2-1. Since then, the Cougars have won every match.
 
About William Woods
WWU (16-7, 7-0 AMC) enter the contest one of three unbeaten teams in the American Midwest Conference. The other two teams are No. 1 Park and No. 5 Missouri Baptist. The Owls face Missouri Baptist on October 23rd and Park November 1st.
 
Last time out, William Woods was able to walk away with a 3-0 shutout to conference opponent Lindenwood-Belleville. Tory Wiley led with 9 kills, Remie Johnson led with 15 assists and Jessica Jenson led with 11 digs.
 
The Owls currently hold three national rankings. They rank 24th overall in total blocks (170), 29th overall in blocks per game (2) and 42nd overall in total service aces (147). Rayleen Rivera and Jaclyn Zahn are the only WWU players with national rankings. Rivera currently ranks 8th overall in total service aces (46) and 16th overall in service aces per game (.57). Zahn currently ranks 29th overall in total blocks (84) and 39th overall in blocks per game (1.1). A win against Columbia College would put the Owls on a 13-game winning streak and bring their home record to 9-1.
 
What's Next
The Owls return to action on Friday, Oct. 12th when they play in the Columbia College tournament. The Owls play John Brown (Ark.) at 1 p.m. and Bethel (Ind.) at 5 p.m.