Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 HASTINGS, Neb. - Pamela Durazo served an impressive seven aces (match-high five aces vs. Central Christian), and Erin Treis registered her fourth double-double this season (17 assists and 13 digs vs. Hastings) for William Woods volleyball (3-4) on Day 2 of the Hastings College Classic.

After getting swept by two teams receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 - one being in the top 25 - Friday, the Owls beat Central Christian (0-4) in straight sets (25-11, 25-18, 25-9) before losing to host Hastings (5-1) in successive sets (25-23, 25-19, 25-19) Saturday at Lynn Farrell Arena.

"We've learned plenty and grown so much this weekend," William Woods volleyball coach Kandace Cook said. "Playing teams in the top 25 when we have many new pieces is not easy. We've figured out strengths and weaknesses and, by the last two games, really figured out what we were capable of achieving this early in the season. We stuck with Hastings and made a good push to end our weekend on a game that we didn't want to lose, and we fought every point for it. Seeing the growth we made as a team in just two days reminds us how young the season still is and all the potential that is right there in front of us."

En route to sweeping the Tigers, the Owls minimized their mistakes while their opponent didn't, posting a .324 hitting percentage to Central Christian's -.040. Lauren Adams led WWU in hitting percentage at .400, while Vitoria Campos Mello put down 11 kills and four blocks and Treis had 14 assists and six digs.

Looking lively regardless of the 10 a.m. start time, Woods scored five points unanswered to begin set one, with Mya Clapp, Luciana Paiva Pereira, Adams and Campos Mello tallying a kill and Treis three assists. 

That was the first of two 5-0 Owls runs in the first set, and in the second instance, they took their first double-digit lead (15-5) on the first of two Dorazo aces in the set. WWU's most significant advantage of the set was 14 points twice, with Paiva Pereira's third kill giving the Owls their second 14-point cushion and first set win of the weekend.

The second set was a back-and-forth affair until Woods' 9-3 run put it up 24-16. Paiva Pereira recorded two kills during that stretch, and Marissa Solverud had a kill and block.

Making set two the closest of the contest, the Owls hit a match-low .130, and the Tigers notched their only positive set-hitting percentage at .065. Following that, WWU hit .524 and tallied 13 kills, both match-highs, in set three as Central Christian registered its worst hitting percentage at -.136 and failed to regular double figures in points.

For the third and final time against the Tigers, William Woods scored five points unanswered in the third set, the second time it did to open a set. Central Christian committed three straight attack errors to start set three before Campos Mello notched two consecutive kills, the first two of her seven in the set.

Campos Mello turned provider for the match-set point on fellow Sao Paulo, Brazil native, freshman Juliana Neves' kill. William Woods' 25-9 third-set triumph over Central Christian was its widest-set-victory margin this year.

Taking on a better opponent than Central Christian on paper, the Owls' block excelled with five blocks to the Broncos' two. But Hastings had 44 kills, hit .295, 43 assists - a match-high 40 by Alexis Pontine, a transfer from NCAA Division II Adams State - and 55 digs, to William Woods' 34 kills, .161 hitting percentage, 32 assists and 47 digs.

Keeping it close in the first set, the Owls went in front seven times, the latest at 20-19 on a Durazo ace. Adams, who recorded half of her team-high 10 kills in the first set, followed that up with a block before Hastings' attack error made it 22-19. However, the Broncos scored five unanswered points to end the set and win it.

Early on in the second set, William Woods competed point for point with Hastings, holding the lead nine times, the last instance at 14-13. After the Owls tied it at 16, the Broncos capped set two on a 9-3 run, with four kills and an ace in that stretch.

Although Woods dropped the third set 25-19 like the second, its 13 kills and .182 hitting percentage in set three were match-highs against Hastings. Still, the Broncos posted 17 kills and a .341 hitting percentage.

The Owls went ahead on three occasions in the third set, the last at 7-6. While it didn't go in front in the latter stages of the set, WWU had a 3-0 run to cut its deficit to two (20-18) before Hastings' 5-1 scoring surge secured the set and match.

William Woods has a 10-day break before its next two matches, a much-needed stop in action, as the Owls face their most formidable opponent thus far this season. On Sep. 3, WWU travels to Bartlesville, Okla., to play No. 13 Oklahoma Wesleyan (3-0) at 4 p.m. and Southwestern Christian (0-0) at 6 p.m. in the OKWU Triangular at Mueller Sports Center.