Box Score The Wayland Baptist volleyball team is enjoying being above .500 for the first time all season, and in large part the Pioneers have the University of the Southwest to thank.
Wayland defeated the Mustangs for the third time in as many meetings this year, winning a non-conference match Thursday night in Hutcherson Center, 25-10, 25-21, 25-16.
“It was a good night,” Wayland coach
Jim Giacomazzi said.
In their three outings against USW (7-21), the Pioneers (14-13) dropped just one set, and Thursday's result was Wayland's most decisive victory yet. With Hutch Hysteria – the WBU basketball teams' introduction event – scheduled for 8:30 Thursday night after the 7 p.m. volleyball match, it didn't leave much time for the Pioneers to dispatch the visitors from Hobbs, N.M. … and they didn't need long.
One reason was freshman
Shahala Hawkins, who turned in one of her best outings of the year. She matched her season-high of 18 kills first reached in Wayland's previous game against John Brown University, and she smashed her previous best hitting performance with a .739.Hawkins also put down a season-best four of the Pioneers' 10 aces.
“She made her first (and only hitting) error in the third set,” Giacomazzi pointed out, adding that Hawkins and fellow freshman
Chelsey Driskill, who ended with nine kills, both had solid performances. “We've been working a lot on our timing.”
Wayland finished with 40 kills and hit .337 as a team, compared to USW's .31 kills and .148 hitting percentage.
Natasha Giacomazzi recorded all but two of Wayland's 38 assists. “That's more than 11 per set, which is above her average,” Coach Giacomazzi said.
Jaharys Archilla tallied a team-high 11 digs. “She had several nice digs, especially at the end (of the match),” her coach said.
After taking the first set with ease, Wayland jumped out to an early lead in set two before the Mustangs began putting up a fight. USW assumed its first lead and was up 19-18 before Wayland took control again, scoring seven of the next nine points – including four straight on Hawkins' serve – to end it.
USW notched the first point of the third set, but after Wayland tied it at 2-all the Pioneers never trailed again. A couple of aces by
Cat Wiechmann, who had eight digs, toward the end of the match helped provide the finishing touch.
Coach Giacomazzi said he would have liked to have seen more blocks (Wayland had four) as well as stronger outside play.
“Our outsides have to do a better job of scoring points,” he said. “Other teams are keying on our middles, and tonight was a good chance to work on that. But we didn't get the results we need. That needs to improve.”
Still, Giacomazzi was happy following the victory, Wayland's eighth in its last 11 matches.
It was the Pioneers' final non-Sooner Athletic Conference competition of the season. Wayland has four-regular season matches remaining prior to the SAC Tournament beginning Nov. 9. The first of those four is at 7 p.m. Friday when Wayland hosts Oklahoma City (13-19, 3-5), the team right behind them in the SAC standings in fourth place, in what will be Senior Night. The Pioneers' lone senior is Archilla.
Wayland's last home match is 11 a.m. Saturday against Mid-America Christian (16-10, 2-6). The Pioneers then go on the road to take on St. Gregory's (12-11, 2-7) before winding up against 10
th-ranked and SAC leader Oklahoma Baptist (25-4, 9-0) next weekend.
“We have two weeks to continue to improve,” Giacomazzi said, “and the only way to do that is to keep moving up the ladder…rung by rung.”
