OTTAWA, Kan. – The William Woods University volleyball team took a set against no. 19 Ottawa (Kan.) in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round. The Owls fell 3-1, ending their season with a 12-4 overall record. 
 
The set scores were 25-14, 26-24, 19-25, 25-20.
 
Finishing with a .750 winning percentage, the Owls recorded the program's highest winning percentage since 2009.
 
By The Numbers
49 – Tess Schannuth assisted in 49 of the Owls' 56 kills.
.378 – Kate Doerhoff hit .378 while leading the court with 17 kills.
.333 – The Owls hit .333 in set three's win while holding Ottawa to a .186 hitting percentage.
32 – Libero Tori Rosemann dug up 32 attacks to lead the floor.
3 – Hannah Kuehl finished with three blocks.
 
Quote From the Coach
"The first set was a rough way to start the match and not reflective of our capabilities. The final three sets were more representative of who we are and how we can play.  I loved the grit we showed in the third set and how we continued to compete. Overall, I think we showed that we were worthy of this opportunity. We appreciate our seniors and their contributions. All three have impacted our program in important ways. Congratulations to Ottawa on the win and best of luck to them in Sioux City."
 
Game Highlights
Ottawa put together an 8-0 run to take an 18-8 lead in set one. The Owls were unable to recover, ending with a 25-14 loss.
 
Ottawa continued their run into the second set, putting up a 12-4 lead early on. Following an Owls' timeout, the Owls hit a turning point and struck a 6-1 lead to cut the game to three. They continued their success, pushing a 7-0 run to take up a four-point lead, 20-16. The Owls got to set point with a three-point lead, but Ottawa held on and took the set, 26-24.
 
The tides turned, and the Owls pushed out an 8-2 lead to start set three with the help of four kills from Lanie Lowry. The team extended their lead to 15-7, and a kill from Baylie Petry put the Owls three points away from set point with an eight-point lead, 22-14. Ottawa started to close the gap, but a kill from Kate Doerhoff brought the Owls to set point, and an attack error from Ottawa gave the Owls their first set win in a national tournament.
 
Set four's lead bounced back and forth to start out. After four consecutive kills with three from Petry, the Owls took an 11-8 lead. Ottawa countered with a 9-1 run to pull up by five, 17-12. The Owls closed the gap to two after three consecutive kills, 20-18, but Ottawa ended the set with a 25-20 win.