Statesmen Close in on Postseason Berth with Win Over Baker

Baldwin City, Kan.--The William Penn women's volleyball team got a win Saturday that puts it on the doorstep of the league tournament as it defeated Baker 3-1 in a Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup.

WPU (18-15, 8-9 Heart), which won by scores of 25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23, held a .139-.113 hitting edge over the Wildcats.  Much more impactful, though, was that the visitors tallied 14 blocks, compared to just three for BU (11-14, 4-12 Heart).

The navy and gold trailed for much of the opening set and were still down 21-20, but a kill by Katlyn Jeter (Sr., Solon, Iowa, Business Management) and back-to-back aces by the senior pushed William Penn over the top for the 1-0 lead.  Jeter recorded five aces, while overall the Statesmen served up 14 to tie a season high.

After jumping out to a 6-1 edge in the second set, WPU allowed Baker to creep back in and eventually overtake the visiting crew for a moment.  William Penn recaptured the edge, however, and stayed on top to go up 2-0 on the afternoon.

Unfortunately, the Wildcats denied the navy and gold of a sweep as they were in control throughout the third set.

WPU rebounded with the first three points of the fourth set and was in front most of the way.  Ahead 20-14, the Statesmen appeared ready to walk off into the proverbial sunset, but BU had other ideas and scored six unanswered.  Fortunately, a kill by Patricia De Souza (Sr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sports Management), an ace from Kaya Caprini (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Psychology), and another Jeter kill separated the teams once and again and this time, William Penn held on to finish the victory.

Jeter was the only Statesmen in double digits with 12 kills.  She also produced 18 digs for a double-double.

De Souza was next in the kills column with eight, while Alyvia Johnson (Sr., Owatonna, Minn., Business Management) and Jade Melton (Hallsville, Mo., Psychology) both had seven winners.  Khiani Jackson (Jr., St. Joseph, Mo., Psychology) contributed six kills as well.

Lydia Huston (Jr., Kansas City, Mo., Biology) assisted 29 times, while Caprini tallied 15 digs and three aces.

The defensive net was controlled by De Souza (seven block assists) and Jackson (one solo block, five block assists).

"This was a great way to end our road schedule," Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said.  "We were able to lean on each other and have people step up big when needed.  "Our blocking really showed up again in a great team win."

Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Tuesday to host Grand View in Heart North Division play at 7 p.m.  The game will also serve as Senior Night.