FULTON, Mo. – The William Woods University volleyball team returns to Anderson Arena on Monday, Sept. 17th when they host College of the Ozarks (Mo.) in a non-conference matchup. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
The last time the Owls were on the court, they faced Cottey College and Avila University at the Avila University Triangular. The Owls walked away with two sweeps on the day. WWU opened beating Cottey, 3-0 (25-15, 25-10, 25-12) before closing the night with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-17) win over host Avila.
 
About the Bobcats
College of the Ozarks enters the matchup against the Owls with a 14-4 record on the season. The Bobcats are part of the Association of Independent Institutions. The Bobcats enter the contest winning its last three games. Its last loss came on Sept. 11 to Columbia College.
 
Rielly Dobbs leads the team in assists with 587, which is the fifth most in the NAIA this season. On the season, the Bobcats have 696 assists, 15th most in the NAIA. They have led to 789 kills, which is the ninth best in the nation. Along with being near the top in assists and kills, College of the Ozarks is eighth in digs (1109) and 14th in blocks (118.5). Alex Spears leads the team with 201 kills on the season, which is 20th in the nation.
 
Last Season verse College of the Ozarks
Last season, the Owls and Bobcats squared off twice with the Owls winning both matchups. In the first matchup, the Owls went to Point Look, Mo. and defeated the Bobcats, 3-1 (21-25, 25-12, 25-23, 25-22) on Sept. 19th. Just about a month later, the Owls defeated the Bobcats, 3-1 (19-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-17) at Anderson Arena. The second matchup was the Owls 16th win in a row last season.
 
All-Time vs. College of the Ozarks
The Owls hold a 14-9-1 record over the College of the Ozarks. The first matchup between these two schools game in 1990 when the Owls defeated the Bobcats in the College of the Ozarks Tournament. The Owls have won four straight matchups with the College of the Ozarks. The last loss for WWU against the Bobcats was during the 2015 season.
 
ACE
On the season, the Owls have recorded 93 service aces, which is the 50th most in the NAIA. Leading the way for the Owls is Rayleen Rivera. Rivera has 31 of the 93 aces on the season. Her 31 aces is the fifth most in the NAIA. The Owls have 10 different players to record an ace this season.
 
Block Party
Monday nights matchup between the Owls and Bobcats will feature two of the best blocking teams in the NAIA. The Bobcats rank 14th in the nation with 118.5 blocks while the Owls are not far behind with 114 and rank 20th. WWU is averaging 2.07 blocks per set which is 35th most in the NAIA.
 
Looking at the Owls
WWU enters Monday's non-conference matchup with a record of 8-7 on the season. They have won its last four matches. On the season, the Owls have three players over 100 kills. Tory Wiley leads the way with 149 kills. As a team, the Owls have a .169 attack percentage. Remie Johnson and Tess Schannuth led the Owls in assists. Johnson has dished out 262 while Schannuth has dished out 248. Jaclyn Zahn leads the Owls with 60 blocks on the season.
 
What's Up Next
Following Monday's match, the Owls hit the road to face, Lyon College and Central Baptist College on Sept. 21st and 22nd. The Owls open the two-game road trip with Lyon on Friday at 7 p.m. They then play Central Baptist on Saturday at 1 p.m.