Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 SALINA, Kan. – On the opening day of the LaQuinta Kansas Wesleyan Invitational, the Wayland Baptist volleyball team splits its matches Saturday, first sweeping Central Christian College (Kan.) before being swept by Graceland University (Iowa).
Against Graceland (5-1), which defeated the Pioneers 25-16, 25-22, 25-19, Wayland (5-5) had 25 kills and hit .040 compared to Graceland's 39 kills and .239 hitting percentage.
Mallorie Ellis led the Pioneers with 11 kills and hit .200 and also had 10 digs.
Rossanna Ramos had 13 digs and
Riyana Rakrouki 11 assists.
Elisabeth Piroli and
Megan Sharratt each had two block assists.
"I saw some good plays for us and I s some individual improvement," Wayland coach
Jim Giacomazzi said. "We still have a long way to go."
Wayland opened play by defeating Central Christian, 25-23, 25-17, 25-11. The Pioneers registered 34 kills and hit .205 while Central Christian (3-1) managed just 21 kills while hitting .025.
Ellis and
Alex Wood had nine smashes apiece, with Wood hitting an impressive .400 and Ellis .138. Piroli finished with 18 assists while Rakrouki had 11. Six players combined for 11 aces, led by Ellis and Sharratt with three each. Ramos' 11 digs ld the team, while Ellis and Sharratt had one solo block and three block assists each.
"We did what we needed to do against a weaker team," Giacomazzi said. "(Sunday) we will play some teams that are a notch better."
Wayland again takes the court at 2 and 6:30 Sunday, first facing host team Kansas Wesleyan before taking on Tabor College (Kan.). Kansas Wesleyan is ranked the equivalent of 39
th in the Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll; Wayland is the equivalent of 34
th.
Tabor (1-4) on Saturday fell to Texas Wesleyan, 23-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-16, and to Benedictine, Kan., 25-21, 15-25, 25-20, 29-27. Kansas Wesleyan (3-4) fell to Avila, Mo., 21-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-17, then swept Bacone (Okla.), 25-13, 25-18, 25-9.
