Lady Eagles Battle in Four-Set Loss to Mission

WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (10/10/25) – The Williams Baptist University women's volleyball team fell to Mission University on Friday night by a final score of 3-1 (13-25, 25-19, 23-25, 14-25) inside the Southerland-Mabee Center.

Tinleigh Ruhman led the Eagles' attack with 10 kills and a .185 hitting percentage on the night. Faith Raymond paced the back row with 17 digs, while Desirae Walker contributed 16 assists.

As a team, the Lady Eagles recorded 34 kills, 31 assists, and 45 digs, finishing with a team hitting percentage of .188.

The Patriots controlled the first set from the start, winning six of the first seven points and never trailing. A kill by Tinleigh Ruhman cut the lead to two, but that was as close as the Eagles would get, as Mission closed out the set 25-13.

The second set was more competitive, with the teams trading points early. A kill from Hope Raymond sparked a five-point run for WBU, giving the Eagles a 12-7 lead. Mission narrowed the gap late in the set, but Williams closed it out with three straight points—highlighted by a block from Raymond and Natalie Sansom—to even the match at one set apiece.

Set three was a back-and-forth battle. Williams took a three-point lead after a kill from Sansom, but MU responded after a timeout to cut the deficit to 17-16. The Eagles appeared poised to take the set following a kill from Halie Sutton that made it 23-20, but the Patriots rallied for five straight points to steal the set and take a 2-1 lead.

Mission carried the momentum into the fourth set, opening with an 11-1 run to go up 14-4. The Patriots coasted from there, closing out the set and the match.

The loss drops Williams to 1-21 overall and 0-11 in American Midwest Conference play. The Lady Eagles return to the court on Thursday, Oct. 16, when they host Central Baptist College. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Southerland-Mabee Center on the campus of Williams Baptist University.