MOUNT PLEASANT – Almost four hours of volleyball netted two entertaining matches but also a pair of losses for the Iowa Wesleyan College volleyball team Friday night at its own IWC Tiger Classic quadrangular at Ruble Arena.
The Tigers lost to Culver-Stockton (Mo.) College in five sets in their first match Friday, and then came right back and lost to Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) University in four sets in the nightcap. Wesleyan dropped to 3-12 overall this season and went 0-2 in the quad which featured two matches for all four teams.
IWC won the second and fourth sets from Culver-Stockton but lost in five close games, 27-25, 23-25, 25-23, 18-25, 15-12. The Tigers led more than not throughout the match, but the Wildcats came on late to win the first set and later in the fifth set broke a 5-5 tie with five straight points to take control in the deciding game.
B.J. Wagy (Sr.-Cedar Rapids, Iowa) had 17 kills against CSC, while Megan McVey (Jr.-Fort Worth, Texas) added 13 kills and Allegra Tennis (Sr.-Madison, Wis.) had 12. Kendra Zimmerman (Sr.-Green Bay, Wis.) had 48 assists and McVey had 23 digs to lead five players in double figures in that category. Tennis also added five blocks, including three solo blocks.
The Tigers slumped at the start of their second match before recovering to push Cardinal Stritch, but the Wolves would hang on to win 25-14, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21. After a slow start to the match, IWC settled in and looked ready to send the match to a deciding final set before Stritch made a run late in the fourth set and went on to win.
McVey had 11 kills against the Wolves while Wagy and Kara Dennell (Fr.-Kansas City, Mo.) both added seven kills each. Zimmerman had 23 assists and Katie Jammer (Sr.-Green Bay, Wis.) led with 15 digs.
Clarke University defeated both Cardinal Stritch and Culver-Stockton in three sets in the tourney’s other two matches to finish as the only team with a 2-0 record in the quad. Cardinal Stritch and Culver-Stockton both finished with 1-1 records.
Wesleyan will next face Clarke on Wednesday when the teams meet in a Midwest Collegiate Conference match at Ruble Arena. Game time is 7 p.m.
Box score CSC 3 IWC 2
Box score CSU 3 IWC 1
