MARSHALL, Mo. - Four-year William Woods University (5-2) standout
Erin Treis surpassed 2,000 career assists on a successful day of Viking Invitational action Friday at Burns Athletic Complex. The Owls dispatched unfamiliar foe Paul Quinn College (1-3) in sweeping fashion, and after the morning victory, they earned a late afternoon four-set triumph over York University (2-7).
"Today was a true test of our focus and teamwork," Owls right-side hitter
Luciana Paiva Pereira said. "We had our ups and downs, but what mattered most was how we came together as a team when it counted. Everyone stepped up, trusted each other and fought for every point. We finished the day strong with two big wins, proving that our hard work is paying off.
"This team has so much potential, and you can see us getting better with every single game. We're learning, growing and becoming stronger together, and this is only the beginning. Let's keep the energy high and momentum rolling."
"Today we learned a lot about ourselves and were able to see what we need to focus on as a team," William Woods volleyball coach Aubrey Wilson said. "We had some people really step up when we needed it most and created a baseline for us to really build off of. Even when struggling, the girls were able to dig deep and get the job done. That is a true testament to how much fight they have and never giving up on each other. We put ourselves in a position to finish out the weekend strong and on a high note, taking us into conference play."
Paul Quinn Match
On their way to a resounding 25-14, 25-22, 25-19 victory, the Owls dominated all facets of play against the Tigers. William Woods put down 46 kills with an exceptional .256 hitting percentage, dished 44 assists and pulled up 52 digs, while Paul Quinn had 30 kills with a lowly .074 hitting percentage, 29 assists and 52 digs.
In set one, William Woods remained on top throughout after
Ivi Marcolino's kill provided by Treis began a set-opening three-point unanswered stretch. The Owls truly commanded the first set after going on a 7-2 run in which
Pamela Durazo had two kills and
Ryleigh Sander had two assists.
Lennon Adams' kill from a
Cecilia Campos helper capped the stretch and made it 15-6 WWU. Soon after that, the Owls went up by double digits at 17-7 on yet another Marcolino kill from a Treis assist, and they led by as much as 12 points twice, the first time at 21-9 on a Durazo block and second at 23-11 on a
Roberta Carlos de Silva from a Durazo set.
Set two wasn't as straightforward as the first, with the Owls having to overcome a 16-9 hole to take the set. Paiva Pereira powered WWU to a comeback, recording five of her impressive eight kills in the set - four straight - within six points to narrow it to a three-point (17-14) deficit. Sander assisted the Owls' following two points with the second on a Marcolino kill, giving Woods the lead for good at 19-18 as the Owls played more efficient volleyball than the Tigers through the remainder of the set.
Finishing off the sweep, William Woods battled point for point with Paul Quinn early on before eventually taking control of the third set. Tied at 6, WWU used an 8-1 run to hold a seven-point advantage. During that set-deciding run, three Owls had at least one kill, Marcolino (two, added a block assist),
Giovanna Ishii (one) and Paiva Pereira (one), while Sander tallied three assists. A Tigers attack error handed William Woods its lone double-digit lead at 22-12.
Paiva Pereira put together an offensive masterclass, registering a match-high 14 kills with a .391 hitting percentage. Sander notched her first double-double of the year with 15 assists and 10 digs, and
Allie Miller also shined defensively with a match-high 13 digs. Treis posted a match-high 23 assists, meaning she needed at least 22 in the York contest to get to 2,000 for her career.
York Match
On the way to a 25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 25-14 triumph over the Panthers, the Owls had a fittingly great game assisting as a team, as Treis reached her milestone 2,000th career assist. WWU totaled 56 assists and also excelled serving with eight aces; YU had 34 assists and two aces.
Starting the match strong, William Woods posted a set-high 16 kills and hit .344, while York had just eight kills and a .000 hitting percentage. The Owls ran away with the set from the get-go as they broke a 2-all tie and remained in front the rest of the way after a 6-1 run. Marcolino and Paiva Pereira each had two kills, and Treis recorded three assists during the set-deciding run. YU could only trim its deficit to as small as three points before WWU won it by nine.
More of the same occurred in the second set, William Woods evened it at 3 to start a set-deciding 9-3 run in which freshman Adams, a graduate of nearby Smith-Cotton, recorded three kills and an assist, and Carlos de Silva had two kills and back-to-back aces to conclude the run and made it 12-6 Owls.
Although the Panthers hit just .171 with 11 kills in the third set, the Owls experienced rare hitting struggles, hitting .125 with 14 kills. Despite that, set three was still a joyful one for William Woods with Treis reaching her milestone 2,000th career assist on Paiva Pereira's kill that put it at 20-19 York. WWU carried that momentum, taking two two-point leads, the first at 22-20 on a Campos ace and second at 24-22 on Carlos de Silva's kill provided by Treis, before the Panthers scored four unanswered points to win by a tiebreaker.
William Woods followed its worst hitting set of the match with its best, using a .379 hitting percentage with 15 kills to prevail in the fourth set easily - York had six kills with a -.100 percentage. Soaring through a 6-6 scoreline, the Owls went on a set-match-deciding 12-4 run. Treis had four assists and Marcolino three kills to pace WWU's offense in that time. Close to set-point, Campos put WWU in front by double figures (24-14) when she served up an ace, which preceded a Panthers attack error that gave the Owls a second straight victory.
Treis' match-high 31 assists means she now sits at 2,009 for her career, and she's now 173 away from making WWU's top-five career assists leaderboard. Outside of that phenomenal feat, the Owls had top displays from Sander with her second consecutive double-double (17 assists and 12 digs) and Campos with a team-high 14 digs, four aces and three assists. Carlos de Silva's four aces tied Campos for the match-high, and Paiva Pereira and Marcolino led the contest in terms of kills with 15 apiece.
Up Next
William Woods concludes play in the Viking Invitational Saturday, taking on John Brown University (4-2) at 11:30 a.m. and former American Midwest Conference opponent Central Baptist College (0-3) at 4:30 p.m.
