William Penn Falls to No. 2 Park in Top-10 Clash
Parkville, Mo.–The No. 9 William Penn men’s volleyball team closed strong but could not overcome an early deficit, falling to No. 2 Park in straight sets in Heart action Saturday.
William Penn (17-6, 13-5 Heart) fell to the second-ranked Pirates (27-0, 18-0 Heart) in straight sets by scores of 11-25, 13-25, and 23-25. The Statesmen posted attack percentages of -.050, -.053, and .125 across the three sets, while Park hit an efficient .412, .480, and .242.
The opening set featured the Pirates jumping out to a 9-2 lead and later using a 9-3 run to extend the advantage to 20-8. The Statesmen found a bit of rhythm late, adding a few points down the stretch, but Park’s early surge created too large of a gap to overcome.
The second set started similarly, as Park opened with a 9-0 run. William Penn began to settle in and trade points, but the Pirates maintained control with a consistent offensive attack and held a double-digit lead throughout much of the frame. A late push by Park secured the second set and a 2-0 match lead.
Despite the slow start, William Penn showed resilience in the third set. Trailing 7-4 early, the Statesmen battled back to even the score at 12-12 and later used a 4-0 run to take a 19-18 advantage. Park responded with a 6-3 stretch to reach match point at 24-22, but the Statesmen refused to go quietly. A kill from Tommy Fellows (So., Shorewood, Ill., Exercise Science) extended the set before the Pirates secured the final point to close out the match.
Park controlled much of the statistical battle, finishing with a 40-19 edge in kills and a .360-.016 advantage in hitting percentage. The Pirates also dominated at the net with a 13-1 margin in total blocks.
William Penn found a slight edge at the service line, where Park committed 12 errors compared to the Statesmen’s nine, though the Pirates still led in aces (5-2).
Emilio Spanner (Sr., Sint Eustatius, Sports Management) paced the offense with eight kills, while Fellows added five.
Brady Zell (So., Wales, Wis., Business Management) orchestrated the attack with 15 assists and added four digs, matching Sam Spaude (Grad., Cedarburg, Wis., Master’s of Sports Management) for the team lead defensively.
At the net, Britten Beallis (Sr., Naperville, Ill., Sports Management) recorded William Penn’s lone solo block.
Next Up: William Penn returns to action next Tuesday, traveling to face Heart rival Grand View at 7:00 p.m. in Des Moines, Iowa.
