POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - Conventional wisdom argues that direction of serve is not as important for indoor volleyball as it is for beach, but Wednesday's matchup between William Woods (12-1) and College of the Ozarks (7-4) was a reminder that sometimes it's best to just tip your cap to Karma as she pays a visit.
Kassidy Phillips led the Owls to a 3-2 (16-25, 25-8, 19-25, 25-12, 15-8) win with 14 kills and 11 digs, with reigning AMC Attacker of the Week
Lauren Adams continuing her torrid hitting pace with a .556 mark and 12 kills in the win.
Serving from the left, College of the Ozarks opened up a quick 5-2 lead in the first set, stretching its margin as high as 22-12 before William Woods was able to string together a 4-2 run. The Owls weren't able to finish the comeback, however, as a kill by Brooklyn Crawford gave the hosts the opening set.
Woods returned the favor to start the second set, opening up a 5-2 lead highlighted by a pair of kills by
Luciana Paiva Pereira - who had 13 in the match - and extended the lead to 7-4.
After a
Paige Lamm kill pushed the score to 8-4, Phillips set up camp on the service line as WWU blasted through two Bobcat timeouts to take a 15-4 lead. A service error allowed College of the Ozarks a brief glimmer of hope as the teams traded points back and forth, but the Owls slammed the door shut with an 8-1 run to tie the match at 1-1.
William Woods opened the third set with a 9-2 run, but Ozarks was able to take advantage of its timeout this time, halting WWU's momentum with a 6-1 run of its own. The hosts were able to swing the momentum all the way back, scoring six straight points to turn a 15-11 deficit into a 17-15 lead. The Bobcats retook the match lead with a 25-19 set three win.
Again serving from the favored left side, the Owls opened the fourth set with an 11-4 run. The run was capped by four straight Bobcat errors - an error off the block by Adams and Paiva Pereira, a service ace for WWU and then back-to-back unforced attack errors - before CofO briefly found its footing. The Owls kept up the pressure, scoring the next five points and holding Ozarks at bay to close the fourth 25-12 winners.
The coin toss for the deciding set landed in favor of the Woods, and it was soon a mere formality. WWU jumped out to an 8-2 lead, then held on after the switch, keeping the Bobcats below water with a -.091 hitting percentage in the fifth.
WWU finished the match with a .227 hitting percentage, peaking at a .591 pace in the second, and held College of the Ozarks to negative marks in the second (-.069), fourth (-.064) and fifth sets for a match total of .084.
Four matches remain for head coach
Kandace Cook's road warriors, with a trip to Lawrence, Kan., up next. The Owls will take on Haskell Indian Nations University and Bethel College on Friday, with first serve against Haskell set for 3 p.m.
