Men’s Volleyball | Thu, Apr. 14, 2022
Des Moines, Iowa–The William Penn men’s volleyball team made their first ever appearance in the NAIA National Tournament on Wednesday. Unfortunately, they fell to the Campbellsville Tigers in straight sets of 25-14, 25-21, 25-23. The Tigers, who defeated Vanguard yesterday, will advance out of pool play and into the semifinals.
Charlie Figy (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) started off hot, beginning the match with a solo block then subsequently earning the team’s first kill. The Tigers started to string together points, and forced a WPU timeout after taking a 13-8 lead. The stoppage did little to stop the surge, as Campbellsville extended their lead to 18-9. The two team’s traded some points before CU finished the set with three consecutive points. The Statesmen struggled at the net, hitting only .130 while the Tigers hit .500.
The offense got back on track to begin the second as Landon Krause (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) and Ike Papes (Jr., Elwood, Ill., Business Management) each had multiple kills in the early stages of the set. The Statesmen, however, were unable to create separation, and found themselves tied late in the set at 19. After conceding the next three points, the Statesmen called a timeout, but it was not enough to slow the momentum as they dropped set two. Although WPU hit much better in the second set with a .346 mark, Campbellsville hit .500 for the second consecutive set.
Looking to stay alive, the navy and gold opened up the third with three straight points. The Tigers continued to be resilient, and took a 14-12 lead at the midway point. William Penn finally took a lead late in the set 20-19, forcing the first timeout of the match for CU, but the timeout halted the Statesmen as Campbellsville took the next three points, eventually finishing the sweep with a 25-23 win.
Papes led the team with 11 kills while Krause added 10. Figy had a strong performance with a .455 hitting percentage and also added three blocks. Connor Muff (Sr., Kenosha, Wis., Business Managment)mhad assists on 21 of the team’s 31 kills, also leading WPU with five digs. Krause and CJ Rettig (Jr., Sierra Madre, Calif., Physical Education) each chipped in with four.
What’s Next: The Statesmen will play their final game of the season tomorrow against the Vanguard Lions. First serve is scheduled for 4 PM.
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