William Penn Cruises to Sweep Over Dordt
Oskaloosa–The No. 15 William Penn men’s volleyball team claimed a hard-fought 3-0 sweep over Dordt in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Saturday.
The Statesmen (11-7, 8-3 Heart) took control of the match from start to finish, securing the win with set scores of 25-16, 25-16, and 25-21. Dordt (11-9, 5-8 Heart) struggled to find consistency, as William Penn’s strong play set the tone throughout the contest.
In the opening set, the Statesmen surged to an early 10-4 lead, forcing Dordt to rally. The Defenders responded with a run of their own, narrowing the gap to 16-14, but William Penn answered with a 9-7 stretch to close out the set, 25-16.
The second set saw a slightly tighter battle. William Penn maintained a slim 8-6 lead, but the teams traded points until the score was tied at 11-11. At that point, the Statesmen shifted into another gear, embarking on a 14-5 run to claim the set 25-16.
Dordt came out strong in the third set, taking a 12-9 advantage, but William Penn quickly regained control with a 6-1 run, pulling ahead 15-13. Despite a late rally by Dordt, who scored four unanswered points to make it 20-19, the Statesmen held their ground, finishing with a 9-4 run to seal the 25-21 victory.
Offensively, William Penn dominated, outpacing Dordt 38-31 in kills and boasting a .484 to .150 advantage in attack percentage. While the Statesmen committed just seven attack errors, the Defenders struggled with 19.
Ben Cemeno-Castillo (Jr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management), leading the charge, recorded a team-high 13 kills at an impressive .722 attack percentage. Ben Brinkman (Fr., Appleton, Wis., Undecided) added nine kills, while Josh Bluhm (Fr., Lockport, Ill., Software Engineering) contributed seven kills.
Brady Zell (Fr., Wales, Wis., Business Management) orchestrated the offense with 28 assists, and João Gabriel Filippelli (So., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) anchored the defense with 11 digs.
“Another good win today by our group,” said Head Coach Luke Bentley. “Our guys continue to show up when they need to.”
Next Up: The Statesmen return to action next Tuesday as they host Clarke at 7:00 p.m. in a Heart matchup at the Penn Activity Center.
