Hungate’s Bench Performance Guides Statesmen to Come-From-Behind Win

Oskaloosa--Riley Hungate (So., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) had the hot hand Tuesday and willed the Statesmen women's volleyball team to a 3-2 victory over Graceland in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.

WPU (8-9, 2-2 Heart), which was outhit .181-.152, won by scores of 15-25, 27-25, 19-25, 25-14, 15-12.

Very little went right for the home team in losing the first set, but the navy and gold responded with an improved performance in the second round.

William Penn then struggled again in the third, but late in the set, Hungate made her first appearance of the match.  Although the set was essentially over, the Statesmen swung a bit of momentum their way, including the sophomore managing one kill and one ace in the final moments.

Hungate then took over in the fourth.  WPU fell behind 6-4, but went on a 7-1 run and never trailed again.  The sophomore made sure the Yellowjackets (4-8, 1-3 Heart) stayed in the rearview as she recorded eight kills and a block during the set, including five offensive winners during a run of eight unanswered points from the hosts.

William Penn did not start well in the fifth and decisive set, falling behind 8-5 and eventually 12-10.  Hungate was again called upon and fortunately she was still in the zone and stole the show down the stretch, recording three kills and a block to rally the Statesmen to victory.

Overall, Hungate tallied 13 kills on just 17 swings (no errors) for an impressive .765 hitting clip.  Her attack percentage is second only (since 1998) to that of Lacey Taylor's .800 from 2011.

Alyssa Young (Sr., Winter Springs, Fla., Exercise Science) was next for WPU with 11 kills, while Alyvia Johnson (Jr., Owatonna, Minn., Business Management) also hit double figures with 10 in addition to 16 digs for a double-double.  Patricia De Souza (Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Physical Education) added six hitting winners as well.

Mia Brady (So., Pontiac, Ill., Exercise Science) tallied 26 assists in the two-setter rotation, while also matching Young with two aces.

Defensively, Kaya Caprini (So., Minneapolis, Minn., Psychology) topped the navy and gold with 18 digs.  The home squad held an 11-10 edge in blocks, led by De Souza having a part in five and Young helping stop four attacks.

"It feels good to be back in the win column," Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said.  "Tonight was a hard-fought battle until the very end.  It was not the prettiest at times, but in the end, we came away with the win."

Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Friday to host Baker in Heart play at 7 p.m.