OSKALOOSA — The William Penn men’s volleyball team checked off a lot of boxes Wednesday, but most importantly, it kept its season alive with a 3-2 victory over third-seeded Park in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship Semifinals.
Second-seeded WPU (22-5) won by scores of 25-20, 25-21, 19-25, 20-25, 15-13 to advance to Saturday’s Final against #1 seed Grand View. The match, which will be at 2 p.m. in Des Moines, will be the third bout between the two foes with GVU having won both in five sets.
Speaking of five sets, Wednesday’s victory is the program’s first five-set triumph since March 2, 2022, snapping a streak of nine straight losses in matches that have gone the distance.
Courtesy of 13 aces (second-most this year), the hosts looked primed to make quick work of the Pirates (22-7), who likely saw their season come to a close, just shy of earning an at-large berth to the NAIA National Championship.
Park was on the other end of the spectrum in regards to serving as it committed 23 total errors, including eight in the first set. The hosts were outhit .333-.316 and fell short in kills at 12-9, but led nearly the entire opening round. Up by as many as five points on several occasions, the navy and gold allowed PU to creep back in, though, and eventually the sides were tied at 17-17.
Fortunately, Ike Papes (Sr., Elwood, Ill., Sports Management) then took over with an ace and a kill and the Statesmen rolled to the 1-0 lead.
With his team down 3-1 early in the second set, Britten Beallis (So., Naperville, Ill., Sports Management) stepped to the service line and was virtually unstoppable. The sophomore reeled off seven points in a row, including three aces and a kill to put William Penn ahead 8-3.
In a set filled with runs, both crews had answers for the other. Eventually, with the score deadlocked at 19-19, Landon Krause (Sr., Appleton, Wis., Business Management) accepted his turn at running the show and he did so with back-to-back-to-back aces, followed by a kill as the Statesmen went on top 2-0.
Krause notched two early aces in the third as well to put the home squad up 6-3. The senior, in what was one of the biggest matches of his career, broke the school single-match record with seven aces (old record was six on two occasions).
Unfortunately, Park caught fire and stayed alive to force a fourth set.
William Penn again put PU in its rearview in the fourth at 8-5, but seven of the next eight points were secured by the visitors and they took considerable momentum into the fifth and final go-round.
Needing a quick start to turn the tide, the Statesmen did just that with the first three points and they never trailed down the stretch. The advantage grew to as large as five at 12-7 and 13-8, but Park refused to go away easily. The Pirates won five of the next six plays, forcing WPU into a timeout with the navy and gold still holding match point at 14-13.
Out of the huddle, the Statesmen needed a couple of strikes at it, but Beallis finally put the ball on the floor and the team and its fanbase, amidst the chaos, let out a collective sigh of relief. The win does not guarantee William Penn a spot at nationals (only a win on Saturday will do that), but the navy and gold strengthened their resume even more with another top-10 victory (Park entered the match at #8).
WPU won despite being out .375-.246 and losing the kills battle 69-50. To further drive home the point of the team’s serving excellence, the Statesmen were +1 at the line (13 aces, 12 errors), while PU was -22 (one ace, 23 errors).
Papes guided the offense with 18 kills, being the only Statesmen in double figures. Krause and Beallis, with a team-high .562 attacking clip, just missed double digits with nine winners apiece, while Devyn Zavala (Sr., Long Beach, Calif., Wellness and Recreation) had seven and Charlie Figy (Sr., Appleton, Wis., Secondary Education PE K-12) contributed six.
Matt Helmick (Sr., Fullerton, Calif., Business Management) finished with 33 assists, while Papes and Joao Gabriel Filippelli (Fr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) both tallied eight digs.
William Penn narrowly lost the blocking category 8-7 with Papes pacing the defensive net charge with five block assists. Figy added four stops as well.
“Phew, what a night!” Head Coach Luke Bentley said. “It is hard to put into words what tonight means to our program and players, both past and present. To get a fifth-set win–that had not happened in over two years–and to do it at home in the last home match for our seniors, is just incredible. Our guys deserve all the credit. I am so happy for them.”
