OSKALOOSA — The William Penn women’s volleyball team closed out the 2025 season with a sweep over Graceland in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Tuesday.
The Statesmen (17-16, 7-11 Heart) won by scores of 25-16, 27-25, 25-20, while outhitting the Yellowjackets (7-21, 3-14 Heart) .125-.009. Despite the win the Statesmen will not qualify for the Heart Championship tournament.
William Penn opened the contest strong, setting the tone early with three quick points. The Statesmen built a 14–9 lead and never looked back, extending its advantage with a 7–4 run before closing out the set 25–16.
The Statesmen once again came out hot with a 5–2 lead, but Graceland refused to back down, rallying to go up 10–9. The two sides traded points the rest of the way, battling through 10 ties until extra points. Alix Robinson (Fr., Pontiac, Ill., Political Science and History) delivered the final blow with back-to-back kills, lifting WPU to a thrilling 27–25 win and a 2–0 edge in the match.
The navy and gold kept its momentum in the third set, jumping out to a 6–2 lead before Graceland battled back to tie it at 6–6. The Yellowjackets briefly pulled ahead, but William Penn responded with an 11–4 run to take control at 17–11. The teams traded four points apiece to make it 21–15, and despite a late 4–1 Graceland push, the Statesmen closed strong with three straight points to seal the sweep and finish the 2025 campaign on a high note.
Maju Vieira (Jr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) and Abigail Mitchell (Jr., Oxford, Ala., Nursing) shared the team lead with six kills apiece, while Robinson added four.
Kaya Caprini (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Psychology and Human Services) and Mia Brady (Sr., Pontiac, Ill., Exercise Science) shared the team lead with nine digs each. Lydia Huston (Sr., Kansas City, Mo., Biology) followed closely with eight, while Vieira contributed seven.
Brady led the Statesmen in assists totaling 12, Huston chipped in nine.
“Great way to close out the season with a sweep on our home court,” Head Coach Lauren Eldridge said. “All seniors were able to get some quality playing time to finish out their careers. Our seniors left the program better than they found it and that’s worth more than any of the X’s and O’s. Excited for the future of this program!”
