Winning Streak to Six as WPU Clips Clarke

Dubuque--The William Penn women's volleyball team remained perfect in Heart of America Athletic Conference action with a 3-1 road victory over Clarke Tuesday.

The Statesmen (8-6, 4-0 Heart), who have now won six matches in a row, won by scores of 25-20, 16-25, 25-23, 25-20. WPU held a .215-.182 hitting edge, headlined by closing out the fourth set with a .371 clip.

The visitors claimed the first-set lead early on, and with help from three kills each by Katelynn Wissman (Sr., Shawnee, Okla., Biology) and Kaya Caprini (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn., Undecided), took the 1-0 advantage.

After posting a .132 mark in the opening set, the Statesmen warmed up to .286 for the second round, but the Pride (3-8, 0-4 Heart) also improved as they evened the match.

Both sides struggled offensively in the third, but William Penn rebounded to once again take control. Trailing 21-20 in a see-saw battle, the Statesmen reeled off four of the next five points for a 2-1 edge.

The fourth set was another tight event as the squads were tied at 9-9, but WPU managed a 6-1 run and never looked back to close out the night.

WPU's attack was well-balanced with nine different players posting a kill. Riley Hungate (Fr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) blazed the trail with 11 winners off the bench, while the trio of Caprini, Wissman, and Corrin Lepper (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Biology) all finished with nine kills.

Alyssa Young (Sr., Winter Springs, Fla., Biology) was good for an additional five kills as well, while Macy Bailey (Sr., Bondurant, Iowa, Business Management) tallied 14 assists to lead a large group of setters. At the end of the night, the Statesmen had seven different players record an assist.

Hungate and Cecily Liphardt (Sr., Lincoln, Neb., Psychology and Business Management) served up three aces each as WPU produced 10 overall. Liphardt also guided the defensive crew with 20 digs, while Caidince Cleveland (So., Bettendorf, Iowa, General Accounting) ended up with 15.

Young and Lepper were the best net defenders for William Penn with three block assists each.

"Tonight was the result of us fighting to the finish and finding a way when a lot was not going right," Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said. "Playing on the road is always tough in this conference, but we managed to get the job done."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Canton, Mo. Friday to face Culver-Stockton in Heart play at 7 p.m.