WPU Sweeps Two at Grand View Tourney

Des Moines--The William Penn women's volleyball team was on its game Saturday as it swept a pair of non-conference foes at the Grand View Invitational.

The Statesmen (14-12) opened the day with a 3-0 victory of William Woods (Mo.) (25-10, 25-18, 28-26) before knocking off Xavier (La.) 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-16). Xavier is currently 34th in the NAIA.

WPU 3, William Woods 0

The navy and gold dominated the opening set, hitting .448 (14 kills, one error), while holding the Owls (8-14) in the red at -.083. WPU scored the first six points of the match and was never threatened.

The squad took that momentum into the second set and had similar results with a .382-.182 attacking advantage.

Despite an early 4-0 edge in the third round and being up 13-5, the Statesmen would not earn the sweep without a tussle. WWU eventually caught up to William Penn at 21-21 and actually had a pair of set points, but WPU fought off both and completed the victory via two kills each from Andressa Borges (So., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sports Management) and Alyssa Young (Sr., Winter Springs, Fla., Biology) down the stretch.

William Penn, which held a .284-.054 hitting margin, had two players with double-figure kills. Alyvia Johnson (So., Owatonna, Minn., Business Management) topped the navy and gold with 14 on a .364 clip, while Young was next with 11. Borges nearly joined the duo, ending up with nine winners on a .429 attacking mark. Corrin Lepper (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Biology) added five kills in the win as well.

Johnson managed a double-double with a team-high 14 digs as well, while Cecily Liphardt (Sr., Lincoln, Neb., Psychology and Business Management) contributed 11. Macy Bailey (Sr., Bondurant, Iowa, Business Management) assisted 28 times, while Young's presence was also felt on the defensive end with two solo blocks and two block assists.

WPU 3, Xavier 0

If the Statesmen were concerned with Xavier's ranking and its 15-3 (now 15-5) record, it did not show as they dominated in all realms, including outhitting the Gold Nuggets .287-.144.

XU pulled out to a 7-3 advantage in the first set and was still ahead 15-11, but William Penn turned the tables with a 10-2 run to go up 1-0.

The Statesmen again started slow in the second round as they trailed 8-2. Fortunately, they did not waver in their resolve and countered back. Headlined by a 9-2 run, the navy and gold claimed a 2-0 edge in the matchup.

While it did permit the first point of the third set, WPU never let Xavier gain any bit of confidence, quickly shutting the door by posting a match-high .364 attack clip in the round.

Johnson recorded her second double-double of the day with 11 kills and 16 digs, while Riley Hungate (Fr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) eclipsed double digits as well with 10. Young's nine winners were next, while Borges (7), Lepper (5), and Jade Melton (Jr., Hallsville, Mo., Psychology) (5) rounded out a balanced fleet.

In harmony with the hitting balance, WPU's duo of setters did the same with Mia Brady (Fr., Pontiac, Ill., Exercise Science) at 21 assists and Bailey with 20. The quartet of Young, Melton, Lepper, and Borges were all part of two blocks each against Xavier.

"We had a great day of non-conference play against some good competition," Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said. "Our back-row defense was digging everything and our front row was terminating; it was a great day of all-around volleyball. We played some of our best ball today, which is exciting going into this final stretch of important conference play and our push for the postseason."

Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Tuesday to host Culver-Stockton in Heart of America Athletic Conference action at 7 p.m.