To open the home season, William Woods volleyball hosted Missouri Valley College Tuesday evening at Anderson Arena in Fulton. The Owls grabbed set two from MVC but succumbed to a 3-1 loss.
The set scores were 25-21, 20-25, 25-14, 25-21.
The two teams were neck-and-neck through set one until MVC put together a 4-0 run to take up a four-point lead, 18-14. They put together a second 4-0 run just two points later to go up 22-16. The Owls responded with a 4-1 run to close the gap to three, 23-20 but it wasn't enough.
The Owls stuck an early 6-1 run to the Vikings with a collage of kills and blocks to take a 7-3 lead. A 5-1 run followed shortly after to double the Vikings' lead, 12-6, and the owls once again put together a 5-1 run to take a dominating 17-9 lead. The Vikings inched their way back in, but a kill from Reanna Dodge ended the set with a 25-20 win.
MVC pushed a 12-2 run with an 8-0 run in there to take set three to game point, 24-12. The Owls held on for two points but the inevitable happened on the next play to give MVC the 2-1 match lead.
MVC put together a 7-1 run to take a 15-7 lead in set four. The Owls responded with a 6-0 run with two aces from Kassidy Phillips and three kills from three players to cut the set to two points, 15-13. The Owls weren't quite able to get close again, ending with a 25-21 loss.
Overall, the Owls had two players hit over .350 on the match: Rhakala Blackmon - .400 (7-1-15) and Lauren Adams - .368 (7-0-19). Woods hit .270 in set two with its match-high 13 kills.
Leading the Owls statistically were Erin Treis with 19 kills, Emmalea Cook and Tori Rosemann with 12 digs, Lanie Lowry and Riley Alton with eight kills, Dodge, Adams and Lowry with a floor-high four blocks and Phillips with three aces.
William Woods (6-12, 3-1 American Midwest Conference) will return to conference play to take on Cottey College (10-10, 2-2) at 6 p.m. Friday at Anderson Arena in Fulton. Cottey joined the AMC this academic year.