Mustangs End Playoff Hope for WPU
Cedar Rapids — William Penn men’s volleyball needed two wins to make their first appearance in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament. The Statesmen had gone five sets with the Mustangs of Mount Mercy at home a month ago, but they could not go the distance despite a valiant effort Tuesday night. Taking the second set 25-17, William Penn dropped sets one, three, and four by scores of 25-17, 25-20, and 25-22. The team falls to 10-16 overall and 5-12 in Heart action, which unfortunately means the Statesmen will miss out on the Heart Tournament this year.
The first game saw WPU get out of the blocks slowly, leading to the Mustangs taking a 5-1 lead. Ike Papes (So., Elwood, Ill, Business Management) got William Penn their second point of the night but the hosts found plenty of points after that, as their edge ballooned to 15-5. Papes racked up a couple kills to cut the gap to 16-9 but Mount Mercy would have none of it. They ran out the rest of the first set to the tune of a 25-17 win. WPU hit .148 in the first set, with seven kills and three errors on 27 attempts. Despite the loss, the Statesmen had outscored the Mustangs 10-8 over the final rallies, giving them some confidence heading into the second set.
Connor Muff (Jr., Kenosha, Wis., Business Management) got the navy and gold level at 1-1 in the second game and the team then pushed the home side, going up 4-1. MMU then countered the run, with both sides eventually being locked at 8-8. Papes made two kills over a couple rallies to put the Statesmen ahead 10-9 and after a couple errors from Mount Mercy, Eli Herro (So., Dousman, Wis., Business Management) put a kill down to put WPU up 13-10.
The Mustangs would battle back to tie the game up at 15-all, but Anthony Torres (Fr., Aurora, Ill., Computer Science) nailed a kill to put the navy and gold ahead again. Finally catching a full gust of wind in their sails, the Statesmen got a couple of monster kills from Papes to go ahead 21-16, closing out the set on a 4-1 streak to take the second game 25-17. The lineup hit .407 in the frame, with 14 kills and three errors in 27 attempts.
With each side wining by the same score line, the players returned to the floor for a very important third period. Both sides collected points, as the teams walked the score up to 5-5. Kills from Torres and Charlie Figy (Fr., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) kept the game level, as the teams squared off fresh at 10-10.
The Statesmen took a 14-12 lead behind kills from Papes and Herro but after a timeout, the Mustangs evened the score once more. Tied again at 16-all, Mount Mercy made their play for the win, grabbing a one-point lead at 17-16. WPU called a timeout but the squad failed to catch up, as MMU went ahead 21-18. A couple errors from the Mustangs got William Penn to 20 points but Mount Mercy secured the win at 25-20. WPU hit .424 in the game, with 15 kills and one error in 33 attempts, their best mark of the match despite the loss.
The fourth set was a must-win for the Statesmen but they soon found themselves trailing 5-1. Papes and Herro got the team within two but the Mustangs proved to be elusive. They scooted out to a 9-5 lead before the navy and gold closed back up to the hosts at 11-9. Papes and CJ Rettig (So., Sierra Madre, Calif., Physical Education) threw down a kill apiece to help tie the game at 13-13. Soon tied at 16-16, the Mustangs inched out to an 18-16 advantage. Figy scored for William Penn but the team could not tie things up. Down 22-20, Herro made a good swing to once more get the Statesmen to within one point.
MMU called a timeout to freeze the Statesmen and the timeout paid dividens quickly. A pair of long rallies went to the Mustangs, as they took a 24-21 lead. With the post-season on the line, the Statesmen called a timeout. Torres responded with a kill but the Mustangs put it away on the next attack, taking the final game 25-22 and the match three sets to one.
WPU hit .328 in the game, with 52 kills and 13 errors in 119 attempts. The squad made 44 digs, got two aces, and three solo blocks. Papes had his best night in a few games, with 22 kills and four errors on 44 attempts. Torres was second on the team with nine kills, while Figy finished with seven. Muff had 43 assists on the night while both Carlos Garcia (So., Laredo, Texas, Biology) and Papes made 12 digs to pace the squad.
“Tonight marks the end of our season,” said Head Coach Luke Bentley. “Obviously, a tough loss for our team, however, I’m extremely proud of our group of men who continue to represent our program with class and humility. I am looking forward to next year.”
The team will finish the year with the loss, meaning their second campaign will come to a close with a record of 10-16 and 5-12 in the Heart. With a couple of firsts and some improvements across the lineup, the team will look to retool and take another step in their journey next season.
