Statesmen Fall in Four to No. 11 Mount Mercy
Oskaloosa–The No. 6 William Penn men’s volleyball team battled No. 11 Mount Mercy but ultimately fell 3-1 Tuesday in a Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup.
William Penn (9-4, 6-3 Heart) dropped the contest to the Mustangs (13-2, 9-2 Heart) with set scores of 25-22, 24-26, 18-25, and 26-28. Both squads produced strong offensive efforts as the Statesmen posted hitting percentages of .312, .158, .233, and .306 across the four sets. Mount Mercy countered with attack rates of .263, .250, .364, and .286.
The opening set featured a tight battle early on, but William Penn used a 5-1 run to claim a 6-5 edge. The Statesmen maintained a slim lead for much of the set and later added a 4-1 surge to take a 13-9 advantage. The teams traded rallies before Mount Mercy responded with a 7-3 push to close the gap to 22-21. The Navy and Gold answered with a 3-1 run to secure the first set.
The second set opened with a 4-4 tie before WPU produced a 6-1 run to move ahead. Mount Mercy rallied to even the score at 13-13, and the Mustangs later held an 18-17 edge. William Penn answered with a 5-2 stretch to move in front 22-20, but the Mustangs extended play and finished the frame with a 6-2 run to even the match.
Mount Mercy controlled much of the third set. The Mustangs built a 10-8 lead and later extended it to 14-11. A 5-1 run pushed the advantage to 19-13 before William Penn managed three points. Mount Mercy closed the set with a 7-2 stretch to claim the frame.
The Statesmen trailed early in the fourth set as Mount Mercy held a 9-5 advantage, but WPU responded with a 7-3 run to tie the score at 12-12. The Navy and Gold continued their momentum, taking a 17-14 lead before the Mustangs regained control with a 20-18 margin. Mount Mercy moved within a point of the match at 24-22, but the Statesmen rallied for three consecutive points to take a 25-24 edge. The Mustangs answered with a decisive 4-1 push to close the set and seal the match.
Statistically, the Statesmen faced a 62-53 disadvantage in kills, while both teams recorded 19 attack errors. William Penn continued to struggle from the service line with 13 service errors and two aces, while Mount Mercy committed 19 service errors and recorded five aces.
Ben Cemeno-Castillo (Sr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) and Emilio Spanner (Sr., Sint Eustatius, Sports Management) each recorded 14 kills. Britten Beallis (Sr., Naperville, Ill., Sports Management) and Tommy Fellows (So., Shorewood, Ill., Exercise Science) added nine kills apiece, with Beallis posting a .438 attack percentage.
Brady Zell (So., Wales, Wis., Business Management) directed the offense with 44 assists. Cemeno-Castillo led the defensive effort with 17 digs, while Fellows finished with nine. Joao Gabriel Filippelli (Jr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) and Spanner followed with eight digs each, and Zell contributed seven.
At the net, Ben Brinkman (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) recorded six block assists. Beallis added five block assists and one solo block.
Next Up: William Penn continues its spring break homestand Wednesday, hosting Mount Vernon Nazarene in nonconference action at 7:00 p.m. in the Penn Activity Center.
