Statesmen Grind Out Hard-Fought Win Over Morningside
Sioux City–The No. 5 William Penn men’s volleyball team battled through a tough matchup to secure a 3-1 victory over Morningside in a Heart of America Athletic Conference battle Saturday.
The Statesmen (5-5, 2-1 Heart) edged past the Mustangs (5-3, 1-2 Heart) with tight set scores of 25-22, 25-27, 25-22, and 25-22.
William Penn set the tone early in the first set, jumping out to an 11-6 lead. Morningside responded with a four-point surge to trim the gap to 11-10, but the Statesmen answered back with a 9-4 run to stay in control. Despite a late push from the Mustangs, WPU held firm to take the opening set.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle. WPU led 8-6 early, but Morningside swung the momentum in its favor, building a 14-10 advantage. The teams traded points before the Mustangs appeared to take control with a 5-1 run for a 24-18 lead. Refusing to go down easily, the Statesmen rattled off seven straight points to make things interesting, but Morningside managed to close it out and even the match.
Morningside carried that energy into the third set, leading early until William Penn found its rhythm at 10-7. The navy and gold stormed back with an 11-4 run to seize an 18-14 edge. The Mustangs made a late push, but WPU held on to reclaim the match lead.
The Statesmen came out strong in the fourth set, building a 12-7 lead and maintaining the five-point cushion at 22-17. Morningside attempted one final rally with a 5-3 spurt, but William Penn remained composed, closing out the set and the match.
Statistically, WPU held a narrow advantage in kills (58-55), though Morningside posted a higher hitting percentage (.258 to .225). The Statesmen also committed slightly more attack errors (26-23).
Britten Beallis (Jr., Naperville, Ill., Sports Management) led the offensive charge with 18 kills at a scorching .536 clip, while Ben Cemeno-Castillo (Jr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) followed closely with 16 kills. Tommy Fellows (Fr., Shorewood, Ill., Exercise Science) and Josh Bluhm (Fr., Lockport, Ill., Software Engineering) added seven and six kills, respectively.
Brady Zell (Fr., Wales, Wis., Business Management) paced the offense with 35 assists, with Cezar Pedroso (Jr., Curitiba, Brazil, Computer Science) contributing 10. On the defensive end, João Gabriel Filippelli (So., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) anchored the back row with 12 digs.
“Gritty win to end the weekend,” said Head Coach Luke Bentley. “Proud of the guys who rotated in to contribute.”
Next Up: The Statesmen return to action, next Tuesday, traveling to Dubuque, Iowa, to face Clarke in Heart play at 7:00 p.m.
