Nation-Best Five Earn AVCA NAIA All-America Honors
Oskaloosa–A quintet of William Penn men’s volleyball players garnered national recognition as the AVCA NAIA All-America teams were announced Monday.
The trio of Ike Papes (Jr., Elwood, Ill., Sports Management), Charlie Figy (Jr., Appleton, Wis., Secondary Education), and Eli Herro (Sr., Dousman, Wis., Business Management) were all selected to the Second Team. Landon Krause (Jr., Appleton, Wis., Business Management) and Matt Helmick (Jr., Fullerton, Calif., Business Management) collected Honorable-Mention status.
A total of 12 players were named to both the First and Second squads, while 16 individuals earned Honorable-Mention status.
Papes (Second Team), Figy (Honorable Mention), and Krause (First Team) are all now two-time honorees after being lauded in 2022.
William Penn’s five honorees are the most of any team in the NAIA. They helped the Statesmen to a 16-10 record (14-4 Heart) and a #7 ranking in the final national poll.
Papes finished with a team-high 288 kills (3.60 per set) on a .273 hitting mark. He also posted 82 digs, 40 blocks (14 solos, 26 assists), and 33 aces.
The junior managed 13 double-figure kill performances this year with a top effort of 27 against The Master’s (Calif.) on March 15. He served up a season-best four aces on three occasions and recorded a campaign-high five blocks versus Grand View on March 3.
Figy wrapped up his junior campaign with 188 kills (2.14 per set) at a squad-best (tied with Herro) .425 attacking rate. He also headed the navy and gold with 79 blocks (15 solos, 64 assists), while tallying 21 digs and 10 aces.
Five times in double figures, the junior had a season-high 12 kills on four occasions. Figy hit over .700 in five outings and had at least five blocks in four matches (high of eight vs. Missouri Valley on March 10).
Herro’s 167 kills (2.01) came on a .417 attack clip. He recorded 72 blocks (14 solos, 58 assists), while also posting 33 digs and 14 aces.
The senior was in double digits three times with two 12-kill showings. He hit over .600 in six matches, while ending up with five blocks or more on six occasions. Herro’s season-best seven blocks came against Indiana Tech on January 26.
Krause produced 217 kills (3.29 per set) at a .302 rate. He led WPU with 37 aces, while also posting 106 digs and 31 blocks (7 solos, 24 assists).
The junior produced double-figure kills 13 times (high of 19 vs. Grand View on March 29). Krause, who four three double-doubles (kills and digs), finished with a season-high four aces against Clarke on March 21 and a campaign-best five blocks versus Indiana Tech on January 26.
Helmick assisted 878 times this year (10.45 per set) in addition to 136 digs, 34 blocks (6 solos, 28 assists), 17 kills, and eight aces.
The junior owned seven matches of least 40 assists with a season-best 60 coming against The Master’s on March 15. He produced three double-doubles (assists and digs) and had a high of six blocks in March 10th’s matchup with Missouri Valley.
