FULTON, Mo. - For the second time in the space of a week, William Woods faced off against Cottey College, as the Owls hosted the Comets in an AMC Women's Volleyball Championship quarterfinal matchup. And despite an improved hitting performance from the Comets, no. Woods (24-8) swept past Cottey (12-17) 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-21) on Tuesday night. The Owls had a broader spread in the attack, with eight players contributing to the team's 45 kills compared to five for 44 in the regular season finale. Woods was also much more successful in the block, tallying 15 blocks on Tuesday to just three in the first meeting.
Woods controlled the first set, breaking it open with a six-point run sparked by a
Lauren Adams kill and sealed by back-to-back service aces by
Lanie Lowry. Cottey was forced to rotate their back line three times during the run, with Lowry chasing Michaela Wagner from the lineup with her aces.
The Owls used a pair of five-point runs to claim the second set as well, with three straight kills by
Kassidy Phillips sparking the first to put Woods up 15-11, and Lowry closing out the second with a service ace to claim the set and give WWU a 2-0 match lead.
Sensing that their season was about to end, the Comets found a brief bit of momentum to open the third set, opening up a 12-10 lead. But after a service error by Alli Jo Mitchell put Adams at the service line and the senior took up residence for a six-point run to put Woods in front 17-12.
Cottey was finally able to get back in rhythm after calling its second timeout, but mustered just a three-point surge before
Luciana Paiva Pereira picked up a kill. The Comets responded with a kill by Kaylee Criswell, but back-to-back blocks by
Rhakala Blackmon - the first a solo, second a combo with
Emma Austin - shook the visitors. Blackmon teamed up with Lowry for another block down the stretch, and
Erin Treis finished off the match with a second-touch attack after spotting a hole in the Cottey defense.
Phillips registered a double-double on the night (10 kills, 10 digs), with Paiva Pereira leading the Woods offense with 12. WWU posted a .308 attack percentage on the evening and held Cottey to a .093 pace.
William Woods advances to the AMC Semifinals, and will face no. 1 seed Missouri Baptist at 4 p.m. Friday.
