Men’s Volleyball | Sun, Apr. 3, 2022
Des Moines, Iowa–The William Penn men’s volleyball team played in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship match for the first time in program history on Saturday. Unfortunately, they could not dethrone the Grand View Vikings, as they fell in straight sets of 25-22, 25-18, 25-23.
Neither team was able to gain an advantage early, but CJ Rettig (Jr., Sierra Madre, Calif., Physical Education) and Ike Papes (Jr., Elwood, Ill., Business Management) helped set a good tone early. The two each had a pair of kills, and Rettig also teamed up with Charlie Figy (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) for a block en route to a 9-7 lead, as Grand View took an early timeout. Landon Krause (So., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) added a few finishers down the stretch as well, but the hosts were able to hold on to a late lead and take the first set by three points. WPU hit well at a .261 clip, but struggled to contain the Viking attack as they hit .364 in the opening frame.
The navy and gold held the lead at the midway point of the second, but GVU went on multiple different runs to take a big lead late at 21-15. The Statesmen struggled offensively, and Grand View was able to close out the second set victory after holding the visitors to just four kills in the second set.
After battling back-and-forth throughout the third set, the hosts finally created separation late in the set, taking four consecutive points to lead 23-19, putting themselves on the cusp of another conference championship. A valiant comeback fell just short, as the Statesmen came within a point of tying the set, but ultimately fell 25-23.
Papes led the team with nine kills, while Krause finished second with six. Figy had the most efficient attacking day after hitting .500, but the team struggled offensively as a whole, hitting just .059 for the match.
Connor Muff (Sr., Kenosha, Wis., Business Management) had 23 assists and six digs on the night, while Carlos Garcia (Jr., Laredo, Texas, Nursing) led the defense with seven digs.
What’s Next: The Statesmen will wait to see if they will receive an at-large bid to the NAIA national tournament. The selection show will take place on Monday.
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