Statesmen Drop Pair of Season-Opening Matchups at Dordt Triangular

Sioux Center--The William Penn women's volleyball team started its 2024 campaign on a tough note as it fell twice in a triangular hosted by Dordt Saturday.

WPU (0-2) opened the day with a 3-2 loss against Mayville State (16-25, 25-23, 17-25, 25-23, 14-16) and then came up short versus the host Defenders 3-0 (19-25, 23-25, 18-25).

The navy and gold, who were outhit .115-.094, struggled out of the gate to lose the first set against the Comets (1-1).  Fortunately, they battled back with solid defense in the second round (limiting MSU to a -.038 mark) to even the contest.

Like the first, the third set was again troublesome for William Penn, but the squad stayed alive in the fourth by hitting a match-high .196 clip.  Leading nearly the entire way, the Statesmen allowed the Comets to draw even at 23-23, but a Mayville State error was followed by a kill from Delaney Morrow (Moore, Okla., Business Management) to force a fifth and deciding set.

WPU gave up the first three points and trailed by as many as five in the fifth, but roared back and eventually went on top 12-10.  The Comets scored four points in a row, however, only to have the Statesmen answer with back-to-back scores.  Unfortunately, MSU closed out the match with two consecutive points.

Alyvia Johnson (Sr., Owatonna, Minn., Business Management) appeared to be in mid-season form in the season opener, recording a massive double-double of 23 kills and 24 digs.  She was, however, the only Statesmen in double digits as Nicholaa Phillippe (Jr., Belle Plaine, Iowa, Psychology) guided the rest of the crew with seven kills.

Khiani Jackson (Jr., St. Joseph, Mo., Psychology) was next with six winners in her William Penn debut, while Morrow and Jade Melton (Hallsville, Mo., Psychology) each tallied five kills.

Cate Hahn (Sr., St. Charles, Mo., Biology) ended the bout with 38 assists and a team-high two aces; overall the Statesmen lost the aces battle 7-4.

Kaya Caprini (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Psychology) topped the defensive effort with 19 digs, while Jackson was the best net defender with three block assists.

"Our match against Mayville State came down to unforced errors and not executing in big moments," Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said.

Although they were only outhit .135-.079, the navy and gold failed to get going against Dordt.  The first set was a forgettable outing, but WPU responded with much-improved second round.  The Statesmen claimed a four-point advantage on a pair of occasions, but could not close the door.

The Defenders then put the match away with a comfortable victory in the third set.

Johnson again was the offensive hero with nine kills, while Hahn assisted on 20 Statesmen kills.  Caprini's 10 digs were a squad high, while Jackson and Patricia De Souza (Sr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Fine Arts) both had a part in two blocks.

"We just were not able to come alive with front row consistency against Dordt," Eldridge said.  "This is not the start to the season we were looking for, but we were able to play some good competition.  We will still take a lot of good things from the weekend, but we definitely have parts we know we can work on entering our next time out."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Marshall, Mo. next Friday and Saturday to compete in the Missouri Valley Viking Invitational.  On Friday, WPU meets Central Methodist at 3 p.m., while on Saturday, the Statesmen face Missouri Valley at 9 a.m. and Tabor at 11 a.m.