History! Statesmen Get First Win
Sioux Center, Iowa—History was made on Friday night as the Statesmen men’s volleyball squad captured its first win in program history.
WPU (1-2, 0-2 Heart), defeated Dordt (2-1) in four sets by scores of 25-27, 26-24, 28-26, 25-20. William Penn outhit the home team by a margin of .169-.041.
After dropping a highly contested first set, William Penn came back to win another close set by the score of 26-24. The set was tied up at 17-17 before each team went on a four-point run to tie it once again at 21-21 Both teams traded blows before the navy and gold were able to score the final two points of the set.
In set three, WPU found themselves down 18-16, but the team proved its resilience by going on a 6-0 run to make it 22-16, helping them take their second set of the night and take a 2-1 lead into the fourth.
Set four was another back-and-forth affair that saw the teams trade points during the first 10 as it was 5-5 early. Some solid play led the visiting Statesmen to jump out to a commanding 19-14 lead and the intention of locking down that first win. A Dordt service error sealed the deal as the Statesmen took the set 25-20, solidifying the programs first win in history.
Ike Papes (Fr., Elwood, Ill., Sports Management) led the offensive charge for WPU as he logged 16 kills at a .220 clip while Eli Herro (Fr., Dousman, Wis., Business Management) was the most efficient offensive performer on the night as collected nine kills at a .444 clip. Jhourdan Woods (Fr., San Jacinto, Calif., Mechanical Engineering) saw his first action of the season and played well, finishing with seven kills.
It was a team effort on the defensive end as a trio of players reached double-digit dig totals. CJ Rettig (Fr., Sierra Madre, Calif., Wellness and Recreation) led the way with 14 digs, Carlos Garcia (Fr., Laredo, Texas, Biology) was just behind him with 13, and Pedro Maciel (Fr., Belo Horizante, Brazil, Psychology) had 11 in his first action of the young season.
The two-setter combo of Matt Helmick (Fr., Fullerton, Calif., Business Management) and Connor Muff (So., Kenosha, Wis., Business Management) split the duties of running the offense as they combined for 25 assists, finishing with 18 and 17 respectively.
“What a great night for Statesmen Men’s Volleyball! Picking up our first victory in program history is special, but more importantly these guys played as a team and showed a toughness that is unparalleled to any team I’ve been around,” Head Coach Luke Bentley said. “Proud doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings but that’s the best word at the moment.”
Next Up: William Penn will host #1 Grand View on Tuesday at home with the game scheduled to begin at 7 pm.
