COLUMBIA, Mo. – The William Woods University volleyball team split at day one of the Hampton Inn Classic hosted by Columbia College. The Owls defeated receiving votes Evangel to start the day, 3-1. After taking a 2-1 lead in the second match of the day, the Owls fell 3-2 to Tabor College (Kan.). 
 
The Owls move to 2-1 on the season.
 
The team returns for day two of the classic at 11 a.m. Saturday. They face Culver-Stockton College at 11 a.m. and No. 11 Central Methodist at 3 p.m.
 
William Woods def. RV Evangel, 3-1
The Owls won 18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-21.
 
By The Numbers
44 – Tess Schannuth assisted in 44 kills.
.375 – Reanna Dodge hit .375 on the day with 13 kills.
22 – Tori Rosemann pulled up 22 Evangel attacks. 
17 – Lanie Lowry led the floor with 17 kills.
5 – Reanna Dodge and Hannah Kuehl each recorded five blocks.
 
Game Flow
The Owls and Evangel remained even throughout the first half of set one, but Evangel pulled away midway through with an 8-1 run to take an 20-13 lead. The Owls were unable to recover and dropped set one, 25-18.
 
The Owls put up a 7-3 lead to start set two following kills from Riley Alton and Reanna Dodge and a block from Hannah Kuehl and Dodge. Evangel found a 4-0 run to even the score at 12-12, and the match remained relatively close over the next few points. Three consecutive kills from Alton, Kuehl and Lanie Lowry gave the Owls a 20-16 lead, and another 3-0 run gave the Owls a six-point lead, 23-17. A kill from Dodge ended the set with a 25-19 win.
 
Set three remained close to start, but a 3-0 run with two blocks and a kill gave the Owls a five-point lead, 12-7. Evangel closed the gap to one point, but a 4-1 run put the Owls back ahead by four, 20-16. The Owls ended the set with kills from Kuehl and Lowry to win, 25-20.
 
Set four again was neck-and-neck throughout the beginning, and Evangel took a two-point lead midway through, 14-12. A kill from Dodge and an ace from Lauren Hiestand evened the score, and a block from Kuehl gave the Owls a 20-19 lead. Dodge followed Evangel's timeout with a block to give the Owls a two-point lead, and the Owls closed out the match with a 4-1 run to win 25-21.
 
 
Tabor def. William Woods, 3-2
The Owls fell 22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 19-25, 8-15.
 
By The Numbers
47 – Tess Schannuth assisted in 47 kills.
23 – Tori Rosemann pulled up a team-high 23 attacks.
17 – Kassidy Phillips led the team with 17 kills. 
3 – Blair Busenbark recorded three aces.
 
Game Flow
Tabor took an early 7-3 lead, but the Owls evened the score at 14-14 halfway through. The Owls continued to keep within the set, but Tabor stayed one step ahead. With the score at 22-22, Tabor scored the final three points to win 25-22.
 
Tabor jumped out to a 6-1 lead before the Owls called a timeout. The Owls closed the gap to one, but Tabor hit a 5-1 run to take a five-point lead, 12-7. The Owls then struck an 11-0 run as Kuehl served to take a 19-13 lead. An Emily Greif ace put the Owls up 23-16, and a kill from Meagan Engelbrecht ended the set with a 25-18 win. 
 
Set three was back-and-forth, but kills from Kuehl and Phillips and an ace from Kuehl gave the Owls a 22-19 lead. Tabor closed out the set with an attack error to give the Owls the 25-23 win.
 
The Owls had trouble in the fourth set as Tabor smashed a 14-3 run to take up a 15-7 lead. They had a 4-0 run to take a 21-10 lead, but the Owls answered with a 5-0 run to start closing the gap. The Owls were unable to recover, sending the game into the deciding set following the 25-19 loss.
 
Tabor jumped out to an 11-4 run in set five, and finished with a 15-8 win to take the match.