Epic Third Set Comeback Leads to Sweep of Mount Mercy
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s volleyball team picked up another home win on Tuesday, defeating the Mount Mercy Mustangs in straight sets.
The Statesmen, who won by scores of 25-17, 25-20, 25-22, now sit at 3-1 overall with a perfect 2-0 mark in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
Right off the bat, Ike Papes (Jr., Elwood, Ill., Business Management) made his presence felt with a thunderous kill to open the scoring. William Penn dominated the attack, scarcely committing errors while distributing the ball all across the offense. The Mustangs stayed close early, but the navy and gold continued their efficient strikes to create separation. Kills from Landon Krause (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) and CJ Rettig (Jr., Sierra Madre, Calif., Physical Education) followed by an ace from Carlos Garcia (Jr., Laredo, Texas, Nursing) forced another Mount Mercy timeout, but it did little to stop the surge as William Penn won comfortably in the opening frame. William Penn held a heavy advantage on the attack, out-hitting the visitors .423-.261.
The first two points swung in favor of the Mustangs in the second set, but Papes and Eli Herro (Jr., Dousman, Wis., Business Management) got them right back. Five straight William Penn points forced an early timeout, but the visitors continued to hang around, trading points but unable to cut into the lead. The Statesmen went on multiple short two point stretches to create more separation down the stretch, and big swings from Krause and Papes secured the second set victory. Mount Mercy picked up their attack, hitting a strong .348 for the set, but William Penn was outstanding, hitting an even .500 for the set after totaling 16 kills and only two errors as a team.
Anxious to stave off the sweep, the Mustangs jumped ahead 10-6 to force WPU’s first timeout of the match. They rattled off three points in a row to cut the lead to one, but Mount Mercy really pulled away. After taking a 22-14 lead, they seemed poised to force a fourth set. Newly into the game, Michael Cox (Jr., San Jacinto, Calif., Sports Management) got a big kill to get the serve back. Anthony Torres (So., Aurora, Ill., Computer Science) stepped up to the service line trailing 22-15, but the moment didn’t phase him. Torres ripped serve after serve, and the strong net presence from the Statesmen continued to force attacking errors from the Mustangs. Charlie Figy (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) was involved on three consecutive blocks to tie the set at 22, with Papes and Connor Muff (Sr., Kenosha, Wis., Business Management) involved in two each. An incredible sequence, including a pancake save from Torres and a huge dig from Garcia, resulted in Krause giving William Penn the lead. Incredibly at match point, Torres ripped one more huge serve, which popped up back towards the William Penn side for Figy to slam home, completing an epic third set comeback and earning the sweep over Mount Mercy.
Krause was dominant on Tuesday, recording 17 kills against only a single error, coming up with a robust .640 attacking percentage on the game. Papes had a big showing as well, totaling 12 kills to go along with his two key blocks down the stretch.
Garcia tied for the team lead with seven digs, as Krause also recorded seven. The defensive effort was evident at the net as the team recorded 15 total blocks. Herro and Muff each assisted in three, with reigning Heart Defender of the Week Charlie Figy totaling four.
On a night where the Statesmen recorded 43 kills, Muff assisted in 36 of them, with Garcia receiving three assists as well. Overall, the Statesmen out-hit the Mustangs .381-.224.
“Another great effort from our group,” said Head Coach Luke Bentley. “Proud of how they continued to battle even in set three when we were down. Tony Torres deserves a steak dinner on me after that performance. Big time stuff.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen continue their stretch of home games this weekend, beginning with a Friday matchup against the #12 Missouri Baptist Spartans. First serve is scheduled for 7 PM in the Penn Activity Center.
