Pioneers rally for wins at Coca-Cola Classic

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Wayland Baptist followed the same course – dropping the first set before winning the next three – to pick up a pair of victories on the first day of the Coca-Cola Classic.

The Pioneers, ranked the equivalent of 34^th in the NAIA, first rallied to defeat the University of St. Thomas of Houston, 21-15, 25-19, 25-20, 25-16, before doing the same against the University of Northwestern Ohio, 21-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-17.

"The girls are trying very hard to get better," Wayland coach Jim Giacomazzi said following action in Hutcherson Center. "Every set today was a little bit better than the previous one, which is the direction we want to keep going."

Wayland (4-2) plays twice more Saturday, first facing Sooner Athletic Conference foe Texas Wesleyan at 1 p.m. before closing the tournament against University of the Southwest (N.M.) at 5. Unbeaten Texas Wesleyan (6-0) swept both of its matches again Northwestern Ohio, 25-21, 25-18, 25-17, and University of the Southwest, 25-13, 25-12, 25-16.

In Friday's other match, University of the Southwest kicked off the tournament by winning its season-opener over St. Thomas, 25-22, 23-25, 15-25, 26-24, 15-10.

Saturday's action begins at 9 a.m. and will feature five matches every two hours. Admission is $5 for adults or $3 for students.

Live stats will be provided for all matches, with Wayland's contests also being streamed live through www.wbuathletics.com.

The Coca-Cola Classic page can be viewed here.

Against St. Thomas (1-5), Katie Inman had 10 kills and hit .250 for Wayland, which hit .153 compared to .043 for the Celts. Mallorie Ellis and Alex Wood added nine kills apiece, while Krista Epley got eight. The Pioneers recorded seven blocks, including five block-assists by Epley. Ellis led the team with 17 digs while Wood notched three aces. Riyana Rakrouki and Elisabeth Piroli ended with 23 and 17 assists, respectively.

In the night match against Northwestern Ohio (2-5), Ellis and Wood shined on offense, getting 15 and 14 kills while hitting .286 and .314, respectively. Wood also had nine digs while Rossanna Ramos and Pirolli ended with double-digit digs with 19 and 13. Inman and Epley each contributed one solo and three block-assists toward Wayland's 10 team blocks. Rakrouki fashioned 19 assists and three aces while Piroli got 18 assists.

"Mallorie started out slow, got benched, then ended up leading the team in kills. She did a find job getting her head back in the game," Giacomazzi said.

"Jessica Stohlmann had a good night (.364 with five kills), and our setters are starting to connect with Alex. Rossanna did a great job with the 19 digs, and Elisabeth has been working very hard on her defense and was second on the team with 13 digs. I was very glad to see that. Riyana also had a fine night offensively."
  Friday
Match 1: University of the Southwest (NM) 3, Univ. of St. Thomas 2 (25-22,23-25,15-25,26-24,15-10)
Match 2: Texas Wesleyan 3, Univ. of Northwestern Ohio 0 (25-21,25-18,25-17)
Match 3: Wayland Baptist 3, Univ. of St. Thomas 1 (21-25,25-19,25-20,25-16)
Match 4: Texas Wesleyan 3, Univ. of the Southwest (NM) 0 (25-13,25-12,25-16)
Match 5: Wayland Baptist 3, Univ. of Northwestern Ohio 1 (21-25,25-18,25-18,25-17)
Saturday
9:00 — Texas Wesleyan vs. St. Thomas
11:00 — University of the Southwest vs. Northwestern Ohio
1:00 — Wayland Baptist vs. Texas Wesleyan
3:00 — St. Thomas vs. Northwestern Ohio
5:00 — Wayland Baptist vs. University of the Southwest