FULTON, Mo. - William Woods University (3-1) picked up where it left off on Thursday night, winning two more matches Friday as the Owls defeated Haskell Indian Nations University (0-1) in four sets and Justice University (0-2) in straight sets.
Haskell Indian Nations Match
Utilizing its depth, William Woods opened its second day of action with a 25-16, 25-21, 24-26, 25-20 victory against Haskell.
In set one, the Owls and Fightin' Indians were neck and neck early on before a Lennon Adams kill from a Ryleigh Sander assist started a set-deciding 10-2 run that saw William Woods go in front 16-9. During that stretch, Luciana Paiva Pereira put down five of her six first-set kills and added a block assist, while Erin Treis had four assists. The opening set was the Owls' most efficient, hitting .275 and tallying 13 kills.
Set two wound up being William Woods' best set in terms of kills, totaling 15 on its way to taking the set by four points. Ten of the Owls' 15 kills occurred within the first 15 points, including four of the first five points when they began the set by tallying five unanswered points. WWU never trailed during the second set, and it led by as much as seven points when an Adams kill provided by Treis made it 24-17.
The Fightin' Indians looked like a different team in the third set as they had 15 kills with a .286 hitting percentage, but Woods still had only two fewer kills than them. Even though Haskell held a 17-10 advantage at one point, the Owls turned it around and used an 11-3 run to take their lone lead of the set at 21-20. Treis stood out most in set three for WWU, registering 10 assists.
Haskell's attacking efficiency took a different turn in set four, hitting -.062, which William Woods capitalized on to secure the set and match. Five Fightin' Indian attack errors gifted the Owls five of their nine points in their set-opening 9-3 run. William Woods remained on top from there, increasing its advantage to as much as seven points three times, the first at 22-15, with Treis providing Pamela Durazo and Adams kills that gave the hosts two of those three leads.
William Woods newcomer Cecilia Campos made a name for herself in the contest, pulling down 15 digs and serving up three aces. Fellow Brazilians Roberta Carlos de Silva notched her second double-double in as many days (14 digs and 12 kills), and Paiva Pereira recorded a match-high 14 kills (.429 hitting percentage) and added three blocks. Treis did just about all of the Owls' assisting, amassing a match-high 36 - 22 more than any other player.
Justice Match
Just like they did Thursday, the Owls ended Friday with a sweep, beating Justice 25-7, 25-15, 25-10.
William Woods began the matchup with a highly effective first set, notching 11 kills at a .435 percent clip compared to the Lions' three kills and -.182 percentage. The Owls scored the first six points, with Ivi Marcolino and Carlos de Silva each registering a kill and an ace in that time. Not stopping there, WWU breezed to a double-digit advantage at 12-2, with Sander dishing in four assists for the final four points that got the Owls there. Finishing off the comfortable first-set victory, WWU posted seven unanswered points, four of which were from Justice errors.
The Lions kept it close early in the second set, but the Owls broke a 4-all tie with 10 unanswered points; Treis had four assists and Paiva Pereira three kills in that stretch. It was all Woods the rest of the way in set two, tallying a set-high 15 kills as the Owls earned the set victory by 10 points.
Marcolino exemplified her versatility to open the third set, putting down a kill, serving two straight aces and recording an assist within the Owls' first five points as they were on top 5-1. Later in the set, WWU posted 10 points without reply to hold a 22-7 advantage, and Marcolino had three kills within four points the Owls won during that period. That capped a four-kill, two-ace and one-assist set for the junior outside hitter.
Overall, Marcolino finished with eight kills, eight digs and six aces to pace William Woods' lineup. Carlos de Silva ended her tremendous day with an 11-kill, seven-dig and two-ace showing.
Putting a bow to their five-match invitational slate over three days, the Owls face a formidable Evangel University (1-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Anderson Arena.
