WPU Swept by Mustangs in Road Bout

Cedar Rapids--The William Penn women's volleyball team failed to claim the season sweep over Mount Mercy as it fell 3-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Tuesday.

The Statesmen (15-13, 5-7 Heart) fell by scores of 15-25, 21-25, 20-25.

The visitors, who defeated Mount Mercy 3-2 at home just 18 days ago, could not solve MMU (15-13, 11-3 Heart) in the second matchup of the fall.

WPU opened the evening on a positive note with the first two points as part of the 3-1 start, but it proved to be the only time in the contest where the visiting squad was on top.

Mount Mercy quickly answered with five straight points and rolled to the first set win.

Tied at 11-11, the Statesmen stayed close to the Mustangs for most of the second set.  The crew trailed by just one at 19-18, but MMU pulled away down the stretch for the commanding 2-0 edge.

William Penn gave it a go one more time in the third as it shared the first 18 points of the set, but the Mustangs were too much and cruised to the sweep.

Overall, WPU was outhit .221-.092 and also fell short at the service line with a 5-1 deficit in aces.  The Statesmen were, however, a bit better at the defensive net by posting a 5-4 advantage in blocks.

Alyvia Johnson (Sr., Owatonna, Minn., Business Management) posted an all-around solid outing with a double-double of 10 kills and 13 digs.

Katlyn Jeter (Sr., Solon, Iowa, Business Management) was next with seven kills, while also being one of four individuals with multiple blocks (two for the senior).  Khiani Jackson (Jr., St. Joseph, Mo., Psychology) headlined the navy and gold with three block assists.

Lydia Huston (Jr., Kansas City, Mo., Biology) notched 14 assists, while Emalee Young (So., O'Fallon, Mo., Nursing) ended the night with 13 helpers.  Kaya Caprini (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Psychology) topped the back row by tallying 15 digs.

Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Friday to host Missouri Valley in Heart play at 7 p.m.