DUBUQUE – Megan McVey (So.-Fort Worth, Texas) tied a season high in kills for the third time this season and the Iowa Wesleyan College volleyball team opened Midwest Collegiate Conference play with an impressive three-set sweep of Clarke College Wednesday night.
The Tigers defeated the Crusaders by scores of 25-20, 25-18 and 25-19, improving to 6-3 on the season and also avenging a tough five-set loss to Clarke last season in conference. IWC also picked up a critical road win to start a conference season off that opens with two early road matches but will later include four of the final six conference regular season matches at home.
McVey led the team with 16 kills, reaching that mark for the third time this season. The sophomore posted a .382 hitting percentage with just three hitting errors, as the Tigers posted a .215 hitting percentage in an efficient performance over the Crusaders (4-6 overall, 0-1 MCC).
IWC won the opener by breaking free at the end of a close first set. The teams were tied at 17-17 before the Tigers scored five straight points which included three errors by the Crusaders. Clarke never got closer than four the rest of the set, and Allegra Tennis (Jr.-Madison, Wis.) closed out the set with a kill.
The second and third sets saw the Tigers take control midway through both sets, both times making runs to wipe out early Crusader leads. Clarke led 10-8 in both sets, but Wesleyan scored nine of the next 10 points in the second set on its way to victory. IWC also put together a 7-1 run in the third set to pull ahead, and B.J. Wagy (Jr.-Cedar Rapids, Iowa) put the ball away on a kill to close out the match.
Katie Jammer (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis.) had seven kills and was part of a balanced attack behind McVey that included Wagy finishing with six kills, Tennis posting five kills and Brittany Janz (Jr.-Tonica, Ill.) with four kills. Kendra Zimmerman (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis.) had 34 assists and Katie Leidl (Sr.-Esterhazy, Saskatchewan) led the team with 20 digs. Tennis also led the team with six blocks (five assisted).
Clarke was led by Abby Nauman with 11 kills. The Crusaders won last year’s meeting in Mount Pleasant in five sets and had defeated the Tigers each of the past two years.
Wesleyan will look to go to 2-0 in MCC play when it travels to Forest City for its next match next Wednesday against Waldorf College at 7 p.m. IWC will then come home for its home opener when it faces Ashford University on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. at Ruble Arena.
For more information regarding the IWC volleyball program or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Box score IWC 3 Clarke 0
