Statesmen Return to Winning Ways with Sweep of Missouri Valley
Oskaloosa–A block party was held Friday as the William Penn men’s volleyball team cruised past Missouri Valley 3-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play.
#8 WPU (13-6, 12-4 Heart), which won by scores of 25-17, 25-14, 25-16, was only slightly better in total kills (29-28), but owned an impressive .387-.013 hitting advantage. Much of that edge came due to a dominating defensive net presence as the Statesmen posted 14 blocks (just two for MVC) in the victory.
The navy and gold tallied the first three points of the bout and managed two other four-point runs en route to an easy win. William Penn hit .562 in the set, while holding MVC to .172. Landon Krause (Jr., Appleton, Wis., Business Management) served up all three of his aces–in a row–during the first round.
The Vikings (11-8, 6-7 Heart) scored the opening point of the second round, but the Statesmen answered with four straight and never trailed again. The home squad was slowed to a .238 hitting clip, but also managed its best defensive effort by keeping the Vikings in the red at -.115.
The third set was the most competitive of the evening. Tied at 1-1, MVC recorded four in a row, but WPU bounced back with four of its own and stayed on top the rest of the set. Still close at 18-15, the hosts, who outhit the visitors .400 to -.043, scored six straight (seven of the last eight) to finish off the sweep.
Ike Papes (Jr., Elwood, Ill., Sports Management) guided the victors with 10 kills on a .444 mark, while also matching Krause with three aces. Krause was next with seven winners, and Eli Herro (Sr., Dousman, Wis., Business Management) added five kills.
Matt Helmick (Jr., Fullerton, Calif., Business Management) had an all-around great showing, beginning with 24 assists. The junior also tallied two kills and five digs, and was a blocking fiend out of the setting position with one solo and five block assists. CJ Rettig (Sr., Sierra Madre, Calif., Educational Studies) matched him with five digs.
Charlie Figy (Jr., Appleton, Wis., Secondary Education), who produced three kills, topped the net defenders with eight blocks (two solos, six assists). Overall, the Statesmen had five solo blocks Friday.
“This was a great win after our result on Tuesday against Park,” Head Coach Luke Bentley said. “I am really proud of how well we played.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Saturday, hosting Culver-Stockton in Heart play at 1 p.m. and Kansas Wesleyan in non-conference action at 4 p.m.
