WPU Wins Three at Home Tournament

Oskaloosa--The Statesmen women's volleyball team was finally able to play on its own court and took advantage by going 3-1 at the William Penn Tournament Friday and Saturday.

William Penn (4-5) opened Friday with a 3-0 sweep of Hannibal-LaGrange (25-7, 25-23, 25-22) before also sweeping Tabor (25-17, 25-14, 27-25).  On Saturday, the Statesmen came up short in a 3-1 setback to Mount Marty (28-30, 25-23, 22-25, 16-25), but rebounded to defeat Waldorf 3-2 (25-13, 10-25, 25-20, 11-25, 15-9).

WPU 3, Hannibal-LaGrange 0

The navy and gold, who outhit the Trojans .295-.024 in their home opener, went deep into their bench with 18 individuals seeing playing time.  The victors hit .435 in a dominating opening set.

Khiani Jackson (Jr., St. Joseph, Mo., Psychology) paced the offense with 10 kills, while Hailee Pesek (Fr., New Hampton, Iowa, Nursing) was next with eight.  Jade Melton (Hallsville, Mo., Psychology) was also productive with six winners.

Lydia Huston (Jr., Kansas City, Mo., Biology) orchestrated the offense with 21 assists, while three separate players managed two aces.

Defensively, Jackson topped William Penn with one solo block and three block assists.

WPU 3, Tabor 0

WPU concluded Friday with little trouble against the Bluejays, posting a .197-.030 attacking edge to push its winning streak to three matches.  It was the navy and gold's second win over Tabor in as many weekends.

Melton was the best hitter in the outing with 14 kills, followed by nine from Katlyn Jeter (Solon, Iowa, Business Management) and seven from Pesek.

Huston recorded a double-double with 28 assists and 12 digs, while the duo of Kaya Caprini (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Psychology) and Delaney Morrow (Moore, Okla., Business Management) topped the back line with 15 digs apiece.

A trio of Statesmen tallied two aces, and Patricia De Souza (Sr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sports Management) managed four block assists.

Mount Marty 3, WPU 1

The first three sets versus the Lancers could have gone either teams' way, but the Statesmen could only grab the second one.  Unfortunately, William Penn ran out of gas in the fourth and final round.

Jeter (15), Melton (11), and Pesek (11) all hit double figures in kills, while Jackson added seven as well.

Huston notched a weekend-best 41 assists along with 13 digs, and Caprini finished with 21 digs and two aces.

William Penn posted 12 total blocks with Jackson heading the crew with seven assisted stops; Pesek had six block assists and Jeter ended up with five.

WPU 3, Waldorf 2

In a rollercoaster matchup, WPU had two disastrous sets, but countered those with three solid ones where they hit at least .189.  Overall, the squad overcame being outhit .179-.147.

De Souza's 14 kills were a team high, while Jeter just missed double digits with nine.  Jackson and Melton also contributed seven winners each.

Huston managed another double-double with 38 assists and 13 digs, and Caprini was good for an additional 21 digs.  Four Statesmen served up two aces each.

De Souza not only led the hitters, but also the blockers as she had three block assists.

"It felt good to be back on our home court and pull a 3-1 weekend," Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said.  "We were able to give our freshmen some opportunities to showcase what they are capable of, while others also filled roles when we needed them to step up.  Overall, this was a good weekend of finding our rhythm again."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Salina, Kan. next Friday and Saturday to compete in the Kansas Wesleyan Tournament.  On Friday, WPU faces Xavier (La.) at 5 p.m. and Stephens at 7 p.m., while on Saturday, the Statesmen meet host Kansas Wesleyan at 10 a.m. and Sterling at 12 p.m.