Statesmen Get Back in the Win Column
Davenport, Iowa–The William Penn men’s volleyball team got back on track with a road win against the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees. The Statesmen, who won in straight sets of 25-21, 25-16, 25-22 now own an overall record of 11-2 on the season.
WPU attacked well to begin the match, taking an 8-3 lead after a pair of kills each from Landon Krause (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management), CJ Rettig (Jr., Sierra Madre, Calif., Exercise Science), and Eli Herro (Jr., Dousman, Wis., Business Management). Later in the set, Ike Papes (Jr., Elwood, Ill., Business Management) helped extend the lead to 19-10 after back-to-back aces. The hosts began to make things interesting, rattling off five points in a row to cut the lead to four, but the Statesmen held off the comeback attempt to take the first set. WPU hit a strong .290 in the opening frame while holding their hosts to a .167 hitting percentage.
St. Ambrose jumped out to an 11-9 lead in the second set, but the navy and gold took over the set after that. A three-point run was followed promptly by another five point run, giving William Penn eight of the last nine points to go ahead 17-12. SAU was unable to string their own run together, and the Statesmen took a 2-0 advantage. Everything clicked in the second set as the Statesmen hit an even .500 and held St. Ambrose to as many errors as they had kills.
Papes was fed early and often in the third set, and he helped propel the visitors to a 10-6 lead in the early goings of the third with three kills. He continued to pour it on down the stretch, and was joined by Rettig, who had four kills of his own, as the Statesmen swung their way to a 25-20 victory to earn the sweep. The Fighting Bees improved their hitting percentage to .176, but still could not contain the Statesmen attackers, who hit .419 in the finale.
Papes led the team with 13 kills, hitting an impressive .435 for the match. Rettig was also incredibly efficient, totaling 10 kills at a .615 clip. Krause complemented the two with nine finishers of his own, and also added three service aces.
Matt Helmick (Jr., Fullerton, Calif., Business Management) operated as the primary setter, earning assists on 22 of the team’s 45 kills. Connor Muff (Sr., Kenosha, Wis., Business Management) worked in as well, delivering 15 assists and earning three kills on three attempts. Carlos Garcia (Sr., Laredo, Texas, Nursing) led the back row effort with 10 kills.
“Good win on the road,” said Head Coach Luke Bentley. “Great to see a strong response after our last match.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen continue their busy weekend on Friday against the #13 Missouri Valley Vikings. First serve in the Penn Activity Center is scheduled for 5 PM.
