William Penn Upsets #15 CMU in Five

Oskaloosa--The Statesmen women's volleyball team claimed a huge Heart of America Athletic Conference victory Saturday, knocking off #15 Central Methodist 3-2.

WPU (7-6, 3-0 Heart), which won by scores of 25-19, 25-21, 22-25, 11-25, 15-10, overcame being outhit .151-.092.

The Statesmen took an ugly first set that witnessed both sides finishing with negative hitting marks; William Penn was slightly better at -.037. The hosts managed six of the match's first seven points and were never challenged.

The second set was a much tighter affair with CMU (7-3, 1-2 Heart) sitting on top much of the way. Down 15-13, however, the navy and gold reeled off seven consecutive points, including two via ace by Paola Cruz (Fr., Ocala, Fla., Biology) and they left the Eagles in the proverbial dust for a commanding 2-0 edge. Cruz was good for a team-high four aces Saturday.

William Penn was ready to close the book on CMU with a 17-14 lead in the third set, but the visitors had other plans as they recorded four points in a row as part of an 8-2 run and stayed alive with the win.

Central Methodist fully captured the momentum in the fourth set with a dominating performance to force a fifth and deciding round.

WPU fortunately regained its composure between sets and shared the first six points of the final set before a shot from Alyvia Johnson (So., Owatonna, Minn., Business Management) hit the floor, starting a 4-1 run for the home squad.

The Statesmen never trailed again, keeping the Eagles at least two points down the rest of the way. Andressa Borges (So., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sports Management) locked up the thrilling victory with four late kills as part of a 15-kill effort. The sophomore hit .297, committing just four errors in 37 swings.

Corrin Lepper (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Biology) was again not available for WPU, but Borges and Johnson made due in her absence. Johnson matched Borges with 15 kills, while Riley Hungate (Fr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) joined them in double figures with 11 winners off the bench.

Macy Bailey (Sr., Bondurant, Iowa, Business Management) had an epic afternoon, finishing with a double-double of 26 assists and 20 digs. During the victory, Bailey recorded her 1,000th career assist.

Cecily Liphardt (Sr., Lincoln, Neb., Psychology and Business Management) topped the defensive effort with 27 digs, while Caidince Cleveland (So., Bettendorf, Iowa, General Accounting) added 14 more. Cleveland also managed three service aces against CMU.

William Penn posted nine total blocks (seven for CMU), including five block assists from Alyssa Young (Sr., Winter Springs, Fla., Biology) and four from Katelynn Wissman (Sr., Shawnee, Okla., Biology).

"This was a huge win for our program," Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said. "Not only was this big for our current ladies, but for those in the past who have helped us get to this point. It was a rollercoaster of emotions through the last three sets, but we persevered and did the thing."

"I am so proud of the determination of our players from start to finish," Eldridge added. "We wanted this match so bad and we got it. It is such a great feeling finishing this tough weekend with a big win over a ranked foe."

"Finally, congratulations to Macy for reaching 1,000 assists in her career," Eldridge added. "She has been a rock in our offense and it is exciting to see her best ball come in her final season."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Dubuque next Tuesday to face Clarke in Heart action at 7 p.m.