BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – The William Woods University volleyball team went 1-1 on day one of the Baker University Invitational Friday afternoon. The Owls swept Missouri Valley in three to start the four-game tournament. In their second match of the day, they fell to Saint Mary (Kan.), 3-1. The Owls move to 8-4 on the season.
 
They finish out the Baker Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 11, with two matches. They face Graceland at 11 a.m. followed by Haskell Indian Nationals at 5 p.m.
 
 
William Woods def. Missouri Valley, 3-0
The Owls won 25-23, 25-23, 25-21.
 
By The Numbers
19 – Alli Gueck assisted in 19 kills, and Tori Rosemann dug up a floor-high 19 attacks.
11 – Kassidy Phillips led the Owls with 11 kills, finishing with a .409 hitting percentage.
5 – Hannah Kuehl blocked five MVC attacks.
3 – Lauren Hiestand and Blair Busenbark served three aces each.
 
Game Highlights
The Owls put together a 5-0 run with an ace from Alli Gueck and three kills from Kassidy Phillips to put the Owls up 8-6 in set one. After MVC took the lead, the Owls strung together another 5-0 run to go back up 13-9. A block from Hannah Kuehl and Riley Alton ended a 4-0 run to give the Owls an 18-13 lead, but MVC pushed a 6-0 run late in the set to take a one-point lead, 23-22. A kill from Lauren Adams, a MVC attack error brought the Owls to set point, and Tori Rosemann closed out the set with an ace to win 25-23.
 
MVC jumped out to a 4-0 start in set two and brought their lead to 8-3. The Owls slowly closed the gap, and following two MVC errors, the Owls were able to even the score at 14, all. After taking a two-point lead, MVC responded with a 5-0 run to take a 20-17 lead. The Owls answered back with a 6-0 run with two aces from Lauren Hiestand, a kill from Lanie Lowry, and a block from Phillips to go up 23-20. A MVC service error ended the set with a 25-23 win.
 
This time the Owls jumped the gun with 5-0 lead following a kill and two aces from Hannah Kuehl and kills from Phillips and Lowry. They advanced their lead to 8-1. MVC slowly inched their way back in, and late in the set they were within one point, 20-19. A block from Kuehl, a bad MVC set and an ace from Blair Busenbark brought the Owls to match point, and a kill from Kuehl sealed the win, 25-21.
 
 
Saint Mary (Kan.) def. William Woods, 3-1
The Owls fell 19-25, 18-25, 25-19, 12-25.
 
By The Numbers
21 – Tori Rosemann led the floor with 21 digs.
12 – Tess Schannuth and Alli Gueck assisted in 12 kills each.
10 – Lanie Lowry and Hannah Kuehl put down 10 kills each.
6 – Tess Schannuth blocked six USM attacks.
 
Game Highlights
USM pulled ahead halfway through set one, and despite a last-ditch attempt to even the score late in the set with a 4-0 run featuring two aces from Emily Greif, the Owls fell 25-19.
 
The Owls put together a 4-0 run early in set two to even the score, 6-6, but 5-0 USM almost doubled the Owls' score, 15-8. The Owls were unable to recover, ending with a 25-18 loss.
 
The Owls came out with a 4-1 lead to start set three, and following a 3-0 run, the Owls held an 8-4 lead. USM took control of the lead, but a 10-2 run put the Owls up 21-14. Lowry's kill ended the set with a 25-19 win to keep the Owls alive.
 
The Owls struggled in set four as USM dominated with a 25-12 win to take the match.