Oskaloosa–The Statesmen volleyball squad made easy work of Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) Tuesday to collect its first victory of the young season, winning 3-0 in non-conference action.

WPU (1-4), which won by scores of 25-15, 25-17, 25-17, narrowly outhit the Trojans (0-1) by a margin of .069-.062.

The navy and gold kept the visitors in its rearview nearly all match, though, by posting 13 aces and being the recipient of 12 H-LG service errors; overall, the team was a combined +19 at the service line.

The Statesmen faced just one deficit all night, at 2-1 in the opening set.  With the score still tied at four, William Penn tallied six straight and was never threatened in taking the 1-0 advantage.

Claire Simmons (So., Williamsburg, Iowa, Psychology) recorded four of her six aces in the first set; she also managed six kills in the victory.

The hosts rolled through the second round and despite leading only 18-16 late in the final set, finished strong to post the sweep.

Nesreen Iskandrani (Fr., Lawrence, Kan., History/Government) and Shawni Wills (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) both matched Simmons with six kills apiece, while Wills also had a pair of block assists.

Kathleen Steffen (So., Vinton, Iowa, Biology) assisted on 12 winners and served up four more points, while Haley Smith (So., Adrian, Mich., Elementary Education) added nine assists.

Defensively, Ashley Miller (So., Kalona, Iowa, Exercise Science) contributed 14 digs and Lilly Martinez (Jr., Oakland, Calif., Psychology) recorded two solo blocks.

“This was a good win tonight,” Head Coach Jennifer Carlson said.  “The energy was great on the floor and in the gym from our fans.  The ladies executed and got the job done.”

Next Up: William Penn travels to Forest City this weekend to compete in the Waldorf Tournament.  On Friday, the Statesmen play Sterling (Kan.) at 4 p.m. and host Waldorf at8 p.m.  On Saturday, WPU faces Central Methodist (Mo.) at 11:30 a.m. and Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) at 1:30 p.m.

Story provided by Wade Steinlage