Marshall, Mo. - The No. 18 Central Methodist Volleyball program began the Viking Invitational and their 2024 regular season with a four set win over William Penn Friday evening in Marshall, Mo. 

After dropping set one to William Penn, 25-20, the Eagles rattled off three consecutive wins by scores of 25-19, 25-16, and 25-12. 

Super senior Annabelle Maassen finished the night with a team leading 12 kills along with 16 digs, good enough for a double-double. She also picked up a block. 

Junior Joana Milho follwed with 11 kills, five digs, and a block and a half. Newcomer Mia Trankler added 10 kills on 19 swings for a .368 hitting percentage. 

Senior Gabi Owczarek led the setters with 19 assists, followed by Giulia Gainelli with 11. Gainelli joined Maassen in the double double club, as the freshman from Verona, Italy added 10 digs to her stat line. 

Fellow senior Rita Campos tallied 21 digs while also recording three service aces. 

As a team, Central's defense held the Statesmen to just .051 hitting with 28 attack errors, while the Eagles hit .174. CMU also recorded eight total service aces and seven blocks. 

Central will play two more matches in the Invitational Saturday afternoon, beginning with Graceland at 1:00 p.m., followed by a 5:00 p.m. match against Tabor College. 

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