WPU Sweeps Grand View for First-Ever Win in Des Moines

Des Moines–The William Penn men’s volleyball team dominated from start to finish as it knocked off #4 Grand View 3-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Friday.

The 14th-ranked Statesmen (6-5, 5-3 Heart), who won by scores of 25-18, 25-14, 25-23, outhit the Vikings (8-4, 6-2 Heart) by a .231-.075 advantage. WPU also posted a 9-7 edge in blocks to push its winning streak to four matches.

The visitors trailed 8-6 early, but took advantage of three consecutive hitting errors by GVU before Eli Herro (Sr., Dousman, Wis., Business Management) served up an ace and Landon Krause (Jr., Appleton, Wis., Business Management) put down a kill, all part of a 6-0 run. The Vikings closed to within one at 13-12 and then two at 15-13, but could get no closer. Up 21-18, the Statesmen wrapped up the opening set with four straight to take the 1-0 lead. Krause finished the round with an ace; he recorded both of his aces during the set.

Two of the first three points in the second set belonged to Grand View, but the navy and gold responded with a pair of five-point runs and were never threatened in the round. WPU ended up recording three 5-0 stretches in a set that witnessed it outhit GVU .476-.000.

The Statesmen awakened a sleeping giant in the third as the Vikings hit .346 on 26 attempts (no errors) in the third. WPU was fortunately able to counter that with many more opportunities. Although they hit just .119 in the third, the visitors tallied 17 kills (eight more than GVU) on 42 total tries (16 more than GVU).

A 5-0 run put William Penn up 8-4, but the Vikings climbed back in and got within two on several occasions. Another three unanswered helped the visiting crew distance itself, but Grand View would not go away, eventually trimming the margin to one at 23-22, forcing the Statesmen into a timeout.

Krause put a ball to the floor out of the timeout, only to see GVU get its own sideout, but Herro finished off the sweep with a winner on the ensuing play as William Penn won for its first time in the capitol city.

Ike Papes (Jr., Elwood, Ill., Sports Management) was a force all night, producing a team-best 12 kills (just two errors) for a .476 attack percentage. Krause was in double figures as well with 10 kills, while Herro added five.

Matt Helmick (Jr., Fullerton, Calif., Business Management) notched a double-double with 30 assists and 10 digs, while Carlos Garcia (Jr., Laredo, Texas, Nursing) matched him in the digs department. Krause was also matched by CJ Rettig (Sr., Sierra Madre, Calif., Educational Studies) with two aces, while the net defense was paced by Charlie Figy (Jr., Appleton, Wis., Secondary Education) with three solo blocks and three block assists. Figy added four kills as well.

“It is hard to put into words what this win means for our team,” Head Coach Luke Bentley said. “I am very proud of how we came out and played like we had been in that situation before.”

Next Up: William Penn travels to Dubuque next Tuesday to face Clarke in Heart play at 7 p.m.