Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
OLATHE, KS: The Texas Wesleyan University volleyball team (5-11) took two hard losses to top 25 teams at the Hy-Vee Rachel Magana Memorial Classic on Friday. The Lady Rams dropped a 3-0 (25-20, 25-7, 25-28) to #4 Park University (18-0) before taking a 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-20) loss to #20 Evangel University (14-4).
 
The Lady Rams played fourth ranked Park University in the first match of the day. The unbeaten #4 team in the nation ranks in the top 10 in four different statistical categories as a team including third in service aces per game, fourth in hitting percentage, and fifth in kill per game and assists per game.
 
Wesleyan got out to a slow start after a 4-0 Pirate run to start the match.  The Rams cut the lead to 8-6 after a Pirate service error led to an Alex Hendee ace. Texas Wesleyan fought to stay within striking distance, but Park found a 21-14 lead late in the set. The Lady Rams outscored the Pirates 6-4 from there, but dropped the set 25-20.
 
A Lynsay Buell kill to start the second set gave the Rams a 1-0 lead, but Park overpowered Wesleyan on a 14-2 run after that. The Pirates smothered the Rams in the second set with a 25-7 win.
 
Texas Wesleyan held a 4-1 lead to start the third set after a Hendee kill from Abigail Zipoy. Park ran off a 5-0 run to take the lead before another Hendee kill kept the game at 6-5 in favor of the Pirates. The Rams were able to tie the game a 9-9, but Park took control of the set from there. The Lady Rams found their groove late in the set, trading kills with the Pirates, but could not make any run to cut into the lead, falling 25-18. Park took the match 3-0.
 
Hendee and Shelby Stinnett led the charge with five kills apiece. Kristina Gafford tallied nine assists for the Lady Rams. Lauren Hamaker had eight assists and seven digs in the match.
 
In the match against the Crusaders, Evangel held the slightest of leads early in the first set. Kills by Zipoy and Hendee, and a Stinnett sercive ace kept the set at a one-point, 6-5 Crusader lead. Evangel rallied on a 9-1 run from there to make it 15-6. The Rams tallied three consecutive points in a dominant but very short burst with kills by Stinnett, Hendee and Buell, but that made a small dent in a 23-16 set. Evangel went on for a 25-17 win.
 
The Crusaders got an early 9-3 to start the second set. Another 5-0 run extended the lead to 15-6. The Lady Rams kept fighting but could not get out of the deficit as the Crusader took a 25-13.
 
The two teams played close to start the third set, but the Crusaders again held a slight lead. A Hendee kill cut the lead to 9-6, a 5-0 Evangel run extended the lead to 15-6. Another Hendee kill stopped the run for a point, but the Crusaders outscored the Lady Rams 7-2 to make it a 22-9 game. A Meghan Finley kill stopped that streak, and answered again to start a 3-0 run capped with a Mary Trejo ace to make it 24-13. The Rams made a good attempt at match point but would fall in the next volley, 25-13.
 
Hendee, Buell, and Finley all notched seven kills. Hamaker added 14 assists for the Lady Rams.
 
The Lady Rams will begin day two of the tourney tomorrow with a match against MidAmerica Nazarene at 10:00 am, and will play College of the Ozarks at noon.