Statesmen Taken Down by Jimmies in Straight Sets

Sioux City, Iowa—The Statesmen played game two of a back-to-back on the road as they finished up the trip with a showdown against #13 Briar Cliff.

William Penn (2-8) got off to a quick start taking the first set by the score of 25-23 but were unable to keep the momentum going as they took a loss to Briar Cliff (7-3) in the final three sets by the scores of 25-19, 25-17, and 25-12.

The navy and gold showed great moxie as they came from behind to take set one. Having trailed most of the set, WPU found themselves with its backs against the wall down 23-19 before pulling off a 6-0 closing run to take the set.

In the final three sets, the Statesmen were unable to recapture that magic, ultimately dropping the match 3-1. The visiting squad was outhit .215-.105.

The Statesmen got big performances on the offensive end from their usual suspects as Ike Papes (Fr., Elwood, Ill., Sports Management) led the way with 14 kills while CJ Rettig (Fr., Sierra Madre, Calif., Wellness and Recreation) cracked the double-digit plateau with 10 kills.

Matt Helmick (Fr., Fullerton, Calif., Business Management) ran the offense from the setter position as he accumulated 28 assists in the setback. He also managed to collect seven digs.

Defensively, the group put together a quality outing as Rettig added 12 digs to his kill total, giving him the double-double. Pedro Maciel (Fr., Belo Horizante, Bra., Psychology) finished with 10 digs while Papes and Carlos Garcia (Fr., Laredo, Texas, Biology) both totaled eight apiece.

“This weekend was a big test for us.” Head Coach Luke Bentley said, “Mostly due to the travel and the short-handed roster. I felt like our guys showed a great level of a fight in them. We took the #13 team in the country to four sets and played well. It was a great learning weekend for us.”

Next Up: William Penn will return to the court on Tuesday as they play Culver-Stockton at the Penn Activity Center.