MARSHALL, Mo. –The William Woods University volleyball team opened the 2019 campaign on the road with a 3-1 win over Missouri Valley College Wednesday evening. 
 
The Owls won set one, 25-22. MVC took set two, 25-19, but the Owls powered back with a 25-10 set three win to take a 2-1 lead. They finished out the match with a 25-21 set four win to start the season out 1-0.
 
The Owls held a small lead through most of the first set, but MVC took a 18-15 lead mid-way through. Following a WWU timeout, Nise Salima put down a kill to start an Owls' 3-0 run to tie the set. With the Owls trailing by one, a kill by Ally Konarzewski began a 5-1 run to grab the set one win.
 
WWU jumped out to a 4-0 lead in set two, and extended it to 8-1 before MVC took a timeout. MVC climbed their way back into the set and took a two-point lead halfway through, 12-10. The set remained close, but MVC struck a 4-0 run to win the set.
 
After MVC tied the match, the Owls came out hungry for a set three win. They once again jumped out to a strong lead, going up 9-1 with the help of three consecutive Kate Doerhoff kills. The Owls continued to power through with small runs, and with a block from Doerhoff and Jaclyn Zahn, the Owls held a 21-8 lead. Zahn put down two kills to bring the Owls to set point, and an attack error by MVC closed out set three with a 25-10 WWU win. 
 
The Owls took a 5-0 lead to start set four, but MVC was not going to be shut down again. With a 10-3 comeback, MVC took a two-point lead over the Owls. The Owls and MVC went back-and-fourth throughout the rest of the set. With the set sitting at 21-21, Salima put down a kill to force MVC to call a timeout. Salima put down a second kill on the next play, putting the Owls up 23-21. Hannah Kuehl closed out the match with two consecutive kills to win the set and match, 25-21.
 
By The Numbers
34 – Remie Johnson finished the night with 34 assists.
13 – Nise Salima led the floor with 13 kills, and Kayton Coffee led the team with 13 digs.
12 – Kate Doerhoff put down 12 kills and held a .333 hitting percentage. Salima added 12 digs to her stat line.
3 – Hannah Kuehl and Doerhoff each recorded three block assists.
 
What's Next?
The Owls host No. 17 Central Methodist University on Monday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. for their home opener.