Statesmen Post 4-0 Record at Home Tournament

Oskaloosa--The William Penn women's volleyball team went unblemished at home Friday and Saturday as it hosted the Jimmy John's Classic.

WPU (5-4) opened Friday with a 3-1 win over St. Ambrose (25-20, 24-26, 25-23, 25-22) before sweeping Mount Marty 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-14) later in the day.

On Saturday, the Statesmen dropped Tabor 3-2 (25-15, 25-13, 15-25, 23-25, 15-3) and swept Waldorf 3-0 (25-22, 25-7, 25-23).

It is the second time in the last three seasons that William Penn has posted a perfect record at its own event.

WPU 3, St. Ambrose 1

The Statesmen held a .224-.175 attacking edge over the Queen Bees, who are currently receiving votes in the NAIA.

The hosts hit especially well in the first set with a .417 clip and then did just enough the rest of the way.

Three players managed double-digit kills with Katlyn Jeter (Jr., Solon, Iowa, Business Management) guiding the crew with 14 winners.  Alyssa Young (Sr., Winter Springs, Fla., Exercise Science) was next with 13 kills on a .500 mark, while Andressa Borges (Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sports Management) managed 10.

Jade Melton (Sr., Hallsville, Mo., Psychology) and Patricia De Souza (Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Physical Education) were just behind that trio with seven kills each.

Chyanne Bradford (So., Rowlett, Texas, Education) recorded a double-double with 27 assists and 12 digs, while Mia Brady (So., Pontiac, Ill., Exercise Science) was also active at the setter position with 20 assists.

Of her team's eight aces, Kaya Caprini (So., Minneapolis, Minn., Undecided) tallied three of them.

Defensively, Riley Hungate (So., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) had a team-high 12 digs and Young finished with four block assists.

WPU 3, Mount Marty 0

In easily its most consistent bout of the weekend, WPU hit .258, while limiting the Lancers to a red number (-.064).

Hungate and Mariah Radmacher (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Nursing) both tallied six kills, while Young and Patricia De Souza (Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Physical Education) each contributed five.

Bradford's 12 assists were a team best, while Caprini served up four aces in addition to nine digs.  De Souza also headlined the net defenders with four block assists.

WPU 3, Tabor 2

The Statesmen were all over the Bluejays in the opening two sets, but let them back in the match with a pair of forgettable rounds.  Fortunately, the navy and gold got on the same page as they cruised in the fifth set.

Overall, the hosts outhit Tabor .176-.073, including 16 kills and a .381 attack mark by Borges.

Hungate just missed double digits (nine kills), while Jeter (7) and Young (5) also played big parts in the victory.

Bradford 'quarterbacked' the offense with 17 assists and Caprini, Young, and Destiny Tom (Jr., Dickinson, Texas, Biology) all had two aces.

Caprini also led the backrow defenders with 26 digs, while Borges added 11 digs to cap a double-double showing.

Led by Borges' six blocks (one solo and five assists), William Penn had four players with multiple blocks.

WPU 3, Waldorf 0

The final match of the tournament pitted the top two teams of the weekend against each other for an unofficial championship bout.  The Statesmen played their best ball when it counted, outhitting the Warriors .236-.074, including a .500 showing in the second set.  Waldorf entered the contest undefeated at 7-0.

Jeter connected on nine kills, while Borges (7), Hungate (6), and De Souza (5) were productive offensively as well.

Bradford assisted on 20 occasions, while Tom had a pair of services aces.

Caprini dug 11 Warrior attacks, while Brady just missed a double-double with 10 digs in addition to nine assists.

De Souza paced the defense with one solo block and four block assists.

"It feels great to be back in the win column," Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said.  "This last week of practice we really focused on taking care of our side of the court and the things we have control over, which I think paid dividends in this weekend's results."

"We played some strong competition and defended our home court," Eldridge added.  "We know we are capable and talented enough to win sets and matches against strong teams and this weekend reinforced that belief.  We are looking forward to building off this great weekend as we get ready for our first conference match this week."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Canton, Mo. for its Heart of America Athletic Conference opener against Culver-Stockton at 7 p.m.