Statesmen Knock Off #1 GVU in Dominating Fashion
Oskaloosa–In front of a capacity crowd in the Penn Activity Center, the William Penn men’s volleyball team delivered its biggest statement win of the season, sweeping the #1 Grand View Vikings by scores of 25-21, 25-23, 25-14.
In delivering the Vikings their first loss since the 2020 season (breaking a 54-match winning streak), the Statesmen also picked up their first win against GVU in program history. Not only that, but it also marked the first time that WPU has even taken a set against Grand View.
From the first point, the navy and gold controlled the flow of the evening. Eli Herro (Jr., Dousman, Wis., Business Management) and Ike Papes (Jr., Elwood, Ill., Business Management) kicked off the match with back-to-back kills. Herro then joined with Landon Krause (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) for a huge stuff at the net, and the Statesmen kept rolling. After Connor Muff (Sr., Kenosha, Wis., Business Management) dumped in a kill to take a 10-6 lead, the lead remained at four for the duration of the set as the two sides continued to trade points back and forth. Finally, two big swings from Papes led to two more points, and CJ Rettig (Jr., Sierra Madre, Calif., Physical Education) combined with Herro for another block to induce a GVU timeout.
After the break, Krause went right back to work with another kill. Herro and Papes helped bring the score to set point at 24-19, and two points later, a service error gave the Statesmen a big first-set win. Although they struggled with errors at the service line, the hosts set the tone in a big way in the opening frame. They outhit the Vikings by a wide margin of .393-.174, earning 14 kills against only three mistakes.
Regaining some momentum, the Vikings opened up the second frame with a 4-1 lead, but the Statesmen struck right back to even the score at five. WPU and GVU were tied nearly every step of the way until 12-12, when Charlie Figy (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) unloaded for a kill and came up with a huge solo block to lead to a Grand View timeout.
This time, the stoppage served the visitors well, and they rallied for three straight points to equalize once again at 15. William Penn finally created some separation late, taking a 23-20 lead after another rejection from Figy and Krause, but once again, Grand View battled its way back into a tie at 23-23. William Penn called a timeout, and Figy came right out of the break with a kill, driving the ball right through the block. Then at set point, Krause ripped the serve, leading to a poor reception. The point was called as the setter fell into the net, but Figy slammed the ball down anyway, punctuating another set to give WPU a 2-0 lead. Once again, the hosts held a big advantage in the attacking department, outhitting Grand View .310-.174 in the second set.
Trying to eliminate any doubt, William Penn immediately got off to a 5-0 lead, forcing an early Grand View timeout as Krause led the offense with two more finishers. The Statesmen struggled to separate after the hot start, but then the points started to come in bunches. After an error from the visitors, Muff delivered his second ace of the set, and following a dig from Carlos Garcia (Jr., Laredo, Texas, Nursing), Krause drove one off the top of the block and GVU called what would be its final timeout, trailing 15-8.
Although it gave up the opening point following the break, WPU had full control the rest of the way. Krause had two more kills, and Papes ripped his second ace of the match. After a Grand View error at the service line, Krause then took his turn serving, proceeding to ace the Vikings on three consecutive points. Holding a commanding match point at 24-14, Muff once again found the opening in the defense, dumping the final point as the Statesmen completed the sweep.
Krause was incredible on all sides of the ball. He finished with a match-high 14 kills against only one error, good for a ridiculous .619 hitting percentage. He also finished second on the team with six digs, tied for the team lead with four blocks, and added three service aces.
Papes was a great complement for Krause on the other end of the net, hitting .348 with 10 kills while adding four digs and two aces. Figy hit an even .500 on the night with seven kills, and Herro was a part of four blocks.
Garcia led with seven digs, and was great on serve receive the entire game. Muff assisted in 31 of the team’s 38 kills, while also adding two aces of his own.
“This moment is all for our players,” said Head Coach Luke Bentley. “They’ve earned this. I’m so excited for them and our program.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen will try to keep rolling on Friday against yet another top-10 opponent as they square off on the road with the #8 Missouri Valley Vikings. First serve is scheduled for 7 PM.
