Winning Streak Snapped in Road Loss at Grand View
Des Moines, Iowa–The William Penn men’s volleyball team suffered their first setback in conference play, losing in straight sets to the #1 Grand View Vikings on the road.
The Statesmen, who fell by scores of 25-13, 25-15, 25-21, took their first blemish on their Heart of America Athletic Conference record and now sit at 9-1 in Heart play with a 10-2 record overall.
The Vikings came roaring out of the gates, promptly jumping out to an 8-1 lead to begin the action. The navy and gold never recovered from the early deficit, and Grand View took the first set 25-13 after hitting an incredible .647 in the opening frame, while holding WPU to as many errors as it had kills.
GVU opened set two with a similar hot streak, taking a 10-3 advantage to force a William Penn timeout. The visitors continued to struggle to mount any sustainable rally, and dropped the second set as well. The Statesmen continued to struggle offensively, hitting a measly .045 for the set, while the Vikings continued their strong run with a .429 showing.
After falling in a similar early hole to begin the third, the Statesmen were finally able to string a run together and knotted the score at eight. The two teams traded points, but the Vikings created some late separation to go ahead 19-16. WPU called a timeout to try and halt their momentum, but they could not rally to even the score again as the Vikings completed the sweep.
Charlie Figy (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) was the lone bright spot for the Statesmen offense, hitting to a .625 clip after totaling six kills on eight attempts. Ike Papes (Jr., Elwood, Ill., Business Management) was the team leader in kills with seven, and he also added three digs.
Connor Muff (Sr., Kenosha, Wis., Business Management) assisted in 17 of the team’s 21 kills while also adding a service ace. Carlos Garcia (Jr., Laredo, Texas, Nursing) was the team leader in digs with six.
“Hats off to Grand View for how well they played,” said Head Coach Luke Bentley. “We didn’t perform at a high enough level. Back to work tomorrow.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen have a busy end to the week ahead of them beginning with a Thursday matchup against the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees in Davenport. On Friday, they will have their first home contest in over two weeks as the Missouri Valley Vikings will come into town. Thursday’s contest is scheduled for 7 PM, while Friday’s is slated to begin at 5 PM.
