Big Defense Not Enough in Four-Set Loss to Ravens

Oskaloosa--The William Penn women's volleyball team put up a significant effort at the defensive net, but could not get much going offensively in a 3-1 Heart of America Athletic Conference loss to Benedictine Saturday.

WPU (11-11, 5-4 Heart) fell by scores of 18-25, 25-21, 20-25, 15-25.  The hosts were outhit .208-.144, but stayed in the match with a 14-3 edge in blocks.

The first point of the afternoon was won by the home crew, but little else went in favor of William Penn in the opening set as it fell behind 1-0.

In a role reversal, the navy and gold gave up the first point of the second set, but reeled off six of the next seven points.  WPU stayed on top until a mini run put it behind at 16-14.  Fortunately, the Statesmen recovered, and with help from several BC errors, the hosts evened up the match.  The team's .300 hitting mark in the second round was its best in the contest.

William Penn posted a solid another .270 clip in the third set, but failed to keep pace with the Ravens (15-3, 7-1 Heart).  The team also struggled to find its way in the fourth go-round as it lost its first bout of the week.

Andressa Borges (Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sports Management) headed her squad with 10 kills, while Alyvia Johnson (Jr., Owatonna, Minn., Business Management) and Riley Hungate (So., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) both finished with eight winners.  Jade Melton (Sr., Hallsville, Mo., Psychology) contributed five offensive hitting points as well.

Mia Brady (So., Pontiac, Ill., Exercise Science) tallied 20 assists as WPU's top setter, while Kaya Caprini (So., Minneapolis, Minn., Psychology) ended the afternoon with 19 digs.

Alyssa Young (Sr., Winter Springs, Fla., Exercise Science) was one of six Statesmen to post a block; the senior had six block assists, while Borges and Patricia De Souza (Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Fine Arts) each helped with five blocks apiece.

"We battled today, but unfortunately came up short in big moments," Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said.  "We have talked a lot this season about being hot and cold and that was something we experienced today, very much a rollercoaster of highs and lows.  One positive is that we have limited the depth of our lows, but now we need to stay more on the top range.  We still have a lot of season left in order to play our best volleyball."

Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa next Tuesday to host Peru State in Heart play at 7 p.m.