Rettig Leads Dominant Attack in Statesmen Sweep
Canton, Mo.–The William Penn men’s volleyball team continued their undefeated start to Heart of America Athletic Conference play with a sweep of the Culver-Stockton Wildcats by scores of 25-21, 25-16, 25-14.
Landon Krause (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) and CJ Rettig (Jr., Sierra Madre, Calif., Physical Education) both got off to hot starts, as Krause had an early kill and a block and Rettig had kills on his first two swings. The Statesmen struggled to separate from the Wildcats, but the attackers were firing on all cylinders. Krause and Ike Papes (Jr., Elwood, Ill., Business Management) each earned another trio of kills, while Rettig added two more to his ledger. William Penn captured the final three points of the set to take the first advantage of the match, punctuated by an ace from Krause. As a team, the navy and gold hit a ridiculous .577 for the set, totaling 16 kills against only a single error. Krause had seven of those kills, while Papes and Rettig had four apiece. The defense struggled to contain the Culver-Stockton attack, however, as the hosts also hit a strong .348 in the opening frame.
WPU distanced themselves from Culver-Stockton early in the second, taking a 15-10 lead, but the Wildcats continued to hang around, making it a three point contest at 18-15. That was as close as they ever got, however, as the visitors took seven of the next eight points to jump on top 2-0 for the match. The attackers continued to dominate, hitting a tick below their first set efforts with a .556 mark. The big difference came on defense, as the Wildcats were forced into as many errors as they had kills for a 0% attacking rate.
After a close beginning to the set, the visitors went on a five point run to induce an early timeout, as Rettig had a pair of kills and Krause added two more aces. The Statesmen continued to go on small runs to extend their lead, eventually earning the sweep with a final win of 25-14. The attackers had one more absurd set to close out the game, hitting .583 after earning 16 kills compared to only two errors. The defense was also a huge force, holding the Wildcats to a -.167 hitting percentage in the finale.
Rettig had a nearly perfect afternoon, earning kills on each of his first 11 swings and finishing without an error for a ridiculous .917 hitting percentage. Krause and Eli Herro (Jr., Dousman, Wis., Business Management) each finished with identical .571 hitting percentages, with Krause earning 14 kills and Herro tallying four on only seven swings. Papes also had a strong day, chipping in with 11 finishers at a .350 clip.
Herro was a menace at the net, assisting in five blocks, while Krause was close behind with four. Carlos Garcia (Jr., Laredo, Texas, Nursing) led the team with five digs from the back row, and Connor Muff (Sr., Kenosha, Wis., Business Management) assisted in 33 of the team’s 45 kills. The Statesmen hit a staggering .574 as a team.
“Another great effort by our group”, said Head Coach Luke Bentley. “Good end to our weekend trip.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen take the road again on Tuesday for a faceoff against the Graceland Yellowjackets. First serve is scheduled for 7 PM.
