FULTON, Mo. – The William Woods University volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to University of St. Mary on Senior Night Friday evening. The game extends USM's win streak to 17 while putting the Owls at 16-18 on the season.
 
The Owls lost 25-21,18-25, 25-19, 23-25, 10-15.
 
The Owls close out the regular season on the road with matches vs. Williams Baptist on Nov. 8 and Freed-Hardeman on Nov. 9. They have already clinched a spot in the American Midwest Conference Tournament.
 
By The Numbers
29 – Remie Johnson assisted in 29 kills.
21 – Libero Kayton Coffee pulled up a floor-high 21 digs. 
17 – Hannah Kuehl finished the night with a floor-high 17 kills, hitting .448 on the night.
11 – The team served 11 aces.
9 – Nise Salima recorded nine kills with a .348 hitting percentage through three sets.
8 – Jaclyn Zahn made eight stops at the net (3 solo, 5 assisted).
3 – Kayton Coffee served up three aces.
 
Game Flow
The Owls took a 5-2 lead to start the match, but USM evened the score. After USM evened the score at 10-10, the Owls blasted a 7-1 run with kills from Salima, Kira Krebill and Johnson, along with an ace from Coffee. USM started to close the gap, but a block by Zahn and Lanie Lowry put the Owls up 20-16 and forced USM to burn their second timeout. After two WWU errors brought USM within two, the Owls called a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, USM served into the net to bring the set to set point. Johnson dumped the ball over for a kill to end the set with a 25-21 win.
 
Kuehl guided the Owls to a 4-0 start to set two after serving two aces and putting down a kill. USM flipped a switch though and pushed past the Owls to take an 11-7 lead. Back-to-back blocks from Zahn, one assisted by Salima, brought the Owls within two, 14-12, but multiple errors put USM back up by five, 17-12. Three consecutive kills from Alli Konarzewski, Kuehl and Kate Doerhoff brought the Owls within three, but USM scored four straight to win the set 25-18.
 
Midway through set three, the Owls sparked a 6-1 run to take an 18-11 lead. USM scored three consecutive to bring the set within three, but Zahn slammed down a kill to halt their run. An ace from Coffee brought the Owls to set point, and a kill by Lowry scored the set point to win the set and give the Owls a 2-1 match lead.
 
The Owls grabbed a 9-5 lead in set four after a Mallorie Brooks service ace. The lead was extended to 11-6 with a kill from Kuehl, but USM quickly evened the score. After three ties, USM pulled in the lead. An ace by Tori Rosemann brought the Owls within one, 20-19, but USM went up 24-20. A kill by Konarzewski paused USM's run, and Zahn put down a kill to bring the match to 24-22. USM hit into the net, bringing the game to 24-23 and forcing USM to call their second timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Owls were called for a ball handling error, ending the set with a loss and evening the match at 2-2.
 
Back-to-back kills from Kuehl, a kill from Lowry and a USM attack error gave the Owls a 4-0 lead to start set five. Following three Owls' errors, USM crept back in. With a Zahn block, the Owls took an 8-5 lead, bringing the teams to switch sides. Konarzewski put down a kill to give the Owls a 10-7 lead, but that would be the final point scored for the Owls. USM went on a 7-0 run to end the set and match.