William Penn Sweeps Wildcats, Coyotes
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s volleyball team finished off a perfect weekend as it claimed two more victories Saturday.
#8 WPU (15-6, 13-4 Heart) opened the day with a 3-0 win (25-13, 25-19, 25-23) over Culver-Stockton in Heart of America Athletic Conference play and then finished the afternoon with a 3-0 non-conference victory (25-17, 25-19, 25-16) over Kansas Wesleyan.
WPU 3, Culver-Stockton 0
The navy and gold, who rested Ike Papes (Jr., Elwood, Ill., Sports Management) and Landon Krause (Jr., Appleton, Wis., Business Management) (both matches), still easily outhit their visitors .221 to -.037.
The hosts sailed through the first two sets, but ran into some trouble in the third. Fortunately, down 21-20, William Penn scored two in a row and then closed with back-to-back points to seal the sweep.
Devyn Zavala (Jr., Long Beach, Calif., Wellness and Recreation) took advantage of being in the starting lineup, erupting for 16 kills on a .481 attack clip. Charlie Figy (Jr., Appleton, Wis., Secondary Education) nearly joined his teammate in double figures with nine kills (.438 hitting %), while Sam Spaude (So., Cedarburg, Wis., Sports Management) added five.
Figy and Spaude both had parts in four blocks; WPU held a 9-5 advantage in total denials. Matt Helmick (Jr., Fullerton, Calif., Business Management), who assisted 33 times, just missed a double-double with nine digs against the Wildcats (3-18, 1-13 Heart)
WPU 3, Kansas Wesleyan 0
WPU, which outhit the Coyotes .250-.000, was in a decent fight midway through the opening set as it led just 18-15. The hosts straightened up, however, with three straight points and took the 1-0 advantage.
The second round was a little more interesting as KWU (9-16) pulled out to an 8-3 edge. The Statesmen, with help from three aces by both Figy and Papes, turned the tables by posting a 13-3 run and cruised to the set victory.
The Coyotes managed the first point of the final set, but the next five plays were taken by WPU. Numerous other WPU mini runs put the set out of reach and the Statesmen picked up their third win in as many tries during the weekend homestand.
Zavala again paced the home team by recording 10 kills, while Figy put nine balls on the ground at a .636 rate. Papes notched eight hitting points as well; he also served up four of William Penn’s eight aces.
Helmick was good for 28 assists in addition to a team-high eight digs, while Eli Herro (Sr., Dousman, Wis., Business Management) tallied two solo blocks and three block assists. Overall, the victors led Kansas Wesleyan 9-6 in defensive net stops.
“We collected two more good wins today,” Head Coach Luke Bentley said. “Now we will get to see what we are made of in southern California.”
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.
