No. 6 Statesmen Roll Past Graceland in Straight-Set Sweep
Lamoni, Iowa–The No. 6 William Penn men’s volleyball team delivered a commanding performance Tuesday night, sweeping Graceland 3-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.
William Penn (8-3, 5-2 Heart) secured the victory with set scores of 25-13, 25-15, and 25-17 over Graceland (1-15, 0-6 Heart). The Statesmen controlled the tempo throughout, hitting .600 in the opening frame before finishing the night with a .410 team attack percentage. Graceland was held to a .098 clip, including a .037 mark in the second set and .000 in the third.
The Navy and Gold set the tone early, jumping out to a 13-6 lead in the first set. A decisive 9-3 surge stretched the advantage to 22-11, and three quick points later, William Penn closed the set at 25-13.
The second frame was tighter at the outset, with the Statesmen holding a narrow 13-9 edge. Four unanswered points pushed the lead to 17-9, and an 8-3 run sealed the 25-15 win to move within one set of the sweep.
Looking to finish the job, William Penn opened the third set with a 10-5 burst. After both teams traded points, the Statesmen created separation with a 7-3 run. Graceland found brief momentum late, but the deficit proved too much to overcome as WPU secured the 25-17 victory.
Statistically, William Penn held a 42-24 advantage in kills and benefited from 16 Graceland attack errors. The Statesmen also recorded six service aces compared to two from the Yellowjackets. Service consistency remains an area of focus, as William Penn committed seven service errors.
Marton Sebestyen (Fr., Gyenesdias, Hungary, Business Management) led the offensive effort with 11 kills on a .529 hitting percentage, adding six assists. Sam Spaude (Grad., Cedarburg, Wis., Master’s of Sports Management) contributed six kills, while Britten Beallis (Sr., Naperville, Ill., Sports Management) and Ben Brinkman (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) each recorded five kills and hit .500.
Brady Zell (So., Wales, Wis., Business Management) and Cezar Pedroso (Jr., Curitiba, Brazil, Software Engineering and Information Technology) orchestrated the offense with 15 assists apiece. Taylor Brummond (Jr., Winsted, Minn., Sports Management) collected eight digs and six assists, while Zell and Pedroso added five and four digs, respectively.
At the net, Beallis tallied one solo block and three block assists, and Brinkman added three block assists.
“Good road win for us,” said Head Coach Luke Bentley. “Lots of guys got to contribute tonight. Speaks to the depth of this group.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Marshall, Mo., to face Missouri Valley in Heart play Friday at 7:00 p.m.
