SALINA, Kan. — The William Penn University men’s volleyball team fought through a tough, three-set contest to secure a victory over Kansas Wesleyan in Heart of America Athletic Conference action on Monday.
The Statesmen (15-8, 12-4 Heart) showed resilience as they held off the Coyotes (8-15, 4-12 Heart), emerging victorious in set scores of 27-25, 25-21, and 31-29.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair with both teams exchanging points early. Locked at 11-11, the Statesmen managed to pull ahead with a 15-11 lead before Kansas Wesleyan fought back to tie it at 16-16. The set saw several more lead changes before WPU sealed the set 27-25.
In the second set, the Coyotes took an early 4-1 advantage, but William Penn responded with five consecutive points. The teams continued to trade points, with the set tied at 21-21 before the Statesmen surged ahead with a 4-0 run, securing the set 25-21.
The third set was a dramatic back-and-forth battle. William Penn held a 10-6 lead, but Kansas Wesleyan kept the pressure on, eventually tying the score at 23-23. The teams exchanged blows until WPU finally clinched the set 31-29, sealing the match.
Offensively, William Penn dominated, out-hitting Kansas Wesleyan 48-29 in kills and posting a .206 hitting percentage to the Coyotes’ .124. Both teams struggled with attack errors, with the Statesmen committing 26 compared to Kansas Wesleyan’s 16.
Ben Cemeno-Castillo (Jr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) led the charge for the Statesmen with 16 kills, followed by Josh Bluhm (Fr., Lockport, Ill., Software Engineering) with 13. Britten Beallis (Jr., Naperville, Ill., Sports Management) contributed 10 kills at a remarkable .529 attack rate.
On defense, Brady Zell (Fr., Wales, Wis., Business Management) led the team with 38 assists, while João Gabriel Filippelli (So., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) anchored the backline with 15 digs. Cemeno-Castillo added eight digs, with Zell contributing seven.
“It was a good team win for us on the road,” said Head Coach Luke Bentley. “One more tomorrow to cap off the road trip.”
