The Basics
Game 1: Evangel 3, Friends 0 | Box Score
Game 2: Evangel 3, William Woods 1 | Box Score
Record: Evangel (9-0, 1-0), Friends (6-3, 0-1), William Woods (4-6)
Location: Springfield, Mo. (Ashcroft Center)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Valor Volleyball played host to a trio of teams on Friday, taking part in day one of the Evangel Volleyball Classic. Evangel matched up with Friends in their first game of the afternoon, and capped off the evening with a matchup against William Woods.
Evangel used strong and consistent play, most notably on the defensive end, against Friends, taking a 3-0 sweep and their first win of the year in conference play.
Friends jumped out to a slim one point lead in set one, 5-4, but a 7-0 run by Evangel, consisting of several kills from Bella Wakley, gave the Valor a 11-5 lead. The run made all the difference in the set as the Falcons were only able to draw as close as five points from the Valor in EU's 25-18 win in set one.
Evangel swung .378 in set two, hitting just one error to 15 kills while holding Friends to just a .152 attacking percentage, taking the set, 25-17, behind strong efforts from Sharayah Seymour and Loran Pritchett.
The final set was a total team effort as Evangel played strong defensively, rushing to the floor on weak attacks and swinging to a game high 16 kills in set three. Pritchett continued her strong play in the final set as the Valor took a 25-19 win and sweep of Friends in straight sets on Friday afternoon.
HIGHLIGHTS
After having to wait a game, Evangel geared right back up for their night cap, hosting the William Woods Owls, a team that had reverse swept the Valor last season. Although William Woods did take the third set, the Valor made sure to put an end to any threat, using a comeback in the fourth set to take a 3-1 victory over WWU.
The Valor absolutely dominated the first set. Evangel took advantage of several Owls attacking errors, as WWU swung -.103 in the set. The Valor jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the set and never looked back as a 4-0 run ended the set for EU, 25-12.
Set two began similar to set one, but William Woods ultimately found their rhythm, making it a competitive second set. Although Evangel lead by close to five points for the majority of the game, a 4-0 run by William Woods made it a 20-19 game, just slightly in favor of EU. After both teams traded points, a kill from Simone Johnson, Bella Wakley, and Vivianna Sanchez fueled a 4-0 run to end the set, giving EU the second game, 25-20.
William Woods opened the third set with a 6-3 run, forcing an Evangel timeout. After the Valor were able to catch back up and grab a three point lead, 16-13, the Owls began to gain momentum, going on a 5-0 run to take a 22-19 lead. Evangel did fight back to tie the score at 24-24, after strong serves from Kenna Wise and kills from Loran Pritchett. Unfortunately, Evangel could not find the point to take the lead, as WWU ended the set with the needed 2-0 run, taking the win 27-25, in Evangel's first set loss since August 23rd.
Evangel had to bear down and fight in set four. Nothing was given to the Valor as William Woods led 12-7 and then 16-12 over EU, making it appear that the game may have been headed to a fifth and final set. A 4-0 EU run fueled by a pair of Bella Wakley kills evened the score at 16-16, but again the Owls retook the lead, 21-19, forcing an Evangel timeout. After a moment to regroup, a service error and pair of attacking errors regave the Valor a 22-21 lead. All knotted up at 23-23, the Valor took advantage of another William Woods mistake and on the final point of the night, Sharayah Seymour drilled the ball into the middle of the floor, giving Evangel a narrow 25-23 win in set four and overall win, 3-1.
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
Evangel hosts (RV) College of Saint Mary tomorrow (Sept. 7) morning at 11:30 a.m. in the Ashcroft Center.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play. Â
