GRINNELL, Iowa – Grinnell College's volleyball team may have stepped out of conference play Wednesday, but the result was the same for the Pioneers.
Grinnell extended its winning streak to eight matches with a three-set sweep of William Penn University at Darby Gymnasium. The 25-22, 25-22, 25-19 victory snapped a nine-match losing streak to the Statesmen dating back to 2009 as Grinnell improved to 18-2, the third-highest win total in program history.
Kaylin Kuhn '21 moved up to seventh on Grinnell's career chart for points with 1,203 as she pounded down 16 kills and had 13 digs and a match-high four aces.
Rachel Woock '23 added 12 kills, 18 digs and two aces, while
Julianna Roth '22 contributed 30 assists.
Payton Lowrey '22 had two aces and 18 digs,
Madison Smith '20 came up with 10 digs and
Hannah Taylor '21 contributed three blocks.
The first set was tight the whole way before Grinnell got some breathing room with a 4-0 late run on
Emmy Nyquist's '23 serve that helped secure the set victory.
It looked as if William Penn would tie it in the second set, breaking out to a 16-8 lead before the Pioneers came charging back. A three-point run brought the Pioneers within 16-11. After a Statesman point, the Pioneers scored five in a row with Woock serving four of those points as Kuhn had two kills.
William Penn then went up 19-16, but then it was Grinnell's turn with a five-point run. Lowrey served four of those points and had an ace as Grinnell went ahead 21-19. The Pioneers held off the Statesmen from there, closing out the win with a kill from Woock.
Grinnell found itself behind in the third set, too, but a five-point run turned a 6-2 deficit into a 7-6 lead. Kuhn served three aces in that span. After the visitors tied it at 7-all, Grinnell scored five of the next six points and gradually pulled away for the win.
With the setback, William Penn fell to 10-13 on the season. Grinnell is back at Darby Gymnasium Friday night when Knox College visits for a Midwest Conference match. Action begins at 7 p.m.
