Des Moines–The William Penn women’s soccer team will fight to see another day after claiming a 2-1 instant-classic overtime victory over #8 seed Grand View in a Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Play-In Game Tuesday.

With the win, the ninth-seeded Statesmen (7-10-1) move on to Friday’s quarterfinal round to face top-seeded and #12 Benedictine in Atchison, Kan. at 7 p.m.  In the first meeting between the two programs, BC defeated WPU 4-0 on October 15 in Oskaloosa.

On Tuesday, neither side was able to beat the opposing goalkeeper in a scoreless first half.  Shortly into the second period, however, Graciela Belmontes (Sr., Salinas, Calif., Biology) broke the tie with an unassisted goal at the 50:53 mark.

Unfortunately, the host Vikings (10-7-2) were awarded a penalty kick and managed the equalizer in the 71st minute. The final 19 minutes were again void of a tally as the programs were forced into overtime for the second time this year (they tied 1-1 on September 28).

But, just 1:14 into the extra period, Mariah Voight (So., La Mesa, Calif., Sociology/Psychology) sent the visitors off the pitch victorious with her own unassisted goal.  It capped quite a day for Voight as earlier in the afternoon she was selected as a third-team all-Heart performer.

Not only was the win huge in extending the 2016 season, it is also the squad’s first triumph over Grand View since October 28, 2006, snapping a streak of 13 games in the series without a win.

The Statesmen outshot the Vikings 11-10 with Camila Parra (Sr., Brisbane, Australia, Exercise Science) finishing with a team-high three shots.  Adriana Borjon (Sr., Willits, Calif., Exercise Science) stopped six shots in the win as well.

“Tonight was all about the team and playing for each other,” Head Coach Willie McGowan said.  “As a team, we made things happen for each other and that ultimately carried us past a very good Grand View side.”

“This is the first time we have beaten Grand View in a number of years, so it was great for us to do it at this stage in the season and during this season with so many seniors,” McGowan added.  “The support tonight was fantastic with family, alumni, and students from William Penn all making a lot of noise and willing us on to the result.  Thank you to everyone!”

Story provided by Wade Steinlage

Oskaloosa–Walter Eastwood (Sr., Garden City, Mo., Computer Science) had a great showing last Saturday, capped off by the game-winning takeaway, and his efforts helped him be named Heart of America Athletic Conference Football Defensive Player of the Week Monday.

Eastwood, a first-time weekly recipient, posted a team-high nine tackles (four solos) and intercepted a pass in the final two minutes to lead the Statesmen in a 19-14 upset over then-#22 Benedictine.

The senior played a big part in limiting the Ravens to just 182 passing yards on 15 completions; BC entered averaging 248.9 passing yards per game.

For the year, Eastwood, who missed two games with injury, has tallied 33 tackles (14 solos, 2.5 for loss) and three interceptions.

The award is the third of the year for William Penn.

Story provided by Wade Steinlage

Volleyball ramped up one more time Monday night to decide state qualifiers in Class 3A, 4A, and 5A.

In a match heard on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com and the KMZN mobile app, Oskaloosa battled but fell to #3 Marion in straight sets, 25-12, 25-9, 25-9. The defeat closes out the Indians’ season at 16-23 and ends the high school volleyball careers of seniors Alexis Westercamp, Aubrey Miller, Leah VanMaanen, Summer Smith, and Cara Roquet.

Marion (34-9) wins Region 6 in Class 4A and moves on to state and will face Cedar Rapids Xavier (31-9) in the quarterfinals next Tuesday at 6 PM.

In other Class 4A action, Pella defeated Norwalk in the Region 3 Final in straight sets to advance to state at 36-4. The top-ranked Lady Dutch draw Nevada (29-13) in the first round next Tuesday at 4 PM.

Class 3A saw two area teams falter in regional finals.

In Region 5, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont was thwarted from advancing to state for the fourth straight year. The Rockets fell to top-ranked Union in straight sets. The Rockets end their season at 22-14. Union (38-4) will face Osage (23-11) in the quarterfinals at 10 AM next Wednesday.

In Region 8, Davis County fell in straight sets to #5 Mount Vernon. The Mustangs finish the season at 25-17. Mount Vernon (33-7) faces Sioux Center (34-4) in the quarters on Wednesday at noon.

All state action will happen at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids.

Tuesday night action will decide who joins these teams from Class 1A and 2A. Pella Christian is the lone area team still battling for a spot in state. The Eagles will take on #7 Council Bluffs St. Albert in the Class 2A Region 5 Final in Creston at 7 PM.

Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s basketball team earned a much-deserved bulls-eye as the Division I Preseason Top-25 Poll was released Tuesday.

A year after going 29-7 (17-5 Heart) and reaching the national quarterfinals in its inaugural Division I campaign, William Penn is #3 with 228 points. The Statesmen are only behind last year’s national championship participants Mid-America Christian (Okla.) and Georgetown (Ky.).  It is the highest preseason ranking for the program (previous high was #7 to start 2013-2014) and the highest ranking since being #2 in the 12-13 postseason poll.

Defending national champion M-ACU is first with 247 points and six first-place votes, while GC is second with one first-place nod.  Biola (Calif.) (two first-place votes) and LSU Alexandria round out the top five.

Fellow Heart of America Athletic Conference program MidAmerica Nazarene joins WPU in the top 10 at #8, while Central Methodist is also ranked at #23.  Benedictine (#33) and Peru State (T-#34) are receiving votes as well.

WPU begins the season next Thursday in Oskaloosa by hosting Central Christian (Mo.) at 7 p.m.

NAIA Men’s Basketball Preseason Rating – October 25, 2016
(Number in parentheses in first-place votes)
1. Mid-America Christian (Okla.) (6)
2. Georgetown (Ky.) (1)
3. William Penn (2)
4. Biola (Calif.) (1)
5. LSU Alexandria
6. Columbia (Mo.)
7. Talladega (Ala.)
8. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)
9. Carroll (Mont.)
10. William Carey (Miss.)
11. Campbellsville (Ky.)
12. Westmont (Calif.)
12. Dillard (La.)
14. Our Lady of the Lake (Texas)
15. Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)
16. Park (Mo.)
17. Hope International (Calif.)
18. Oklahoma City
19. Pikeville (Ky.)
20. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
20. Texas Wesleyan
22. Faulkner (Ala.)
23. Central Methodist (Mo.)
24. LSU Shreveport
25. Xavier (La.)

Others receiving votes: SAGU (Texas) 38; Montana Western 36; Langston (Okla.) 29; William Woods (Mo.) 27; William Jessup (Calif.) 25; Cumberlands (Ky.) 22; Arizona Christian 12; Benedictine (Kan.) 8; Voorhees (S.C.) 6; Peru State (Neb.) 6; Science & Arts (Okla.) 5; Dalton State (Ga.) 3.

Story provided by Wade Steinalge

Tuesday was another busy night in area volleyball, as several area teams looked to punch tickets to the regional finals in Class 3A and 4A.

In a match heard on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com, the Oskaloosa Indians cruised past a short-handed Mount Pleasant squad on the road, 3-0. Osky won by scores of 25-14, 25-15, and 25-12.

Oskaloosa now moves into the Class 4A Region 6 Final where they will play #3 Marion, who dispatched Grinnell in straight sets. Marion is 33-9 on the season, and defeated Oskaloosa in their only meeting back in a tournament in Cedar Rapids on September 3^rd. The scores were 25-18 and 25-12.

Oskaloosa will enter that match at 16-22, but the Indians are playing their best volleyball of the season and are looking for one more road win to move to the state tournament. That match is in Marion at 7 PM on Monday night. The game will be broadcast on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com with the pregame starting around 6:45.

In other Class 4A action, top-ranked Pella was challenged and dropped the first set, but eventually roared back to eliminate Carlisle at home, 3-1. The Lady Dutch will now face conference foe Norwalk, who swept Winterset. Pella defeated Norwalk in both matches between the teams this year. That game will be in Pella Monday night at 7 PM.

Class 3A also saw a pair of area teams move into the regional finals.

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont held off Centerville on the road in a five-set thriller, 3-2. The win avenges a five-set loss to Centerville earlier this season. The Rockets are now just one win away from clinching their fourth consecutive trip to state, this time as a 3A school.

Their opponent in the Region 5 Final will be #1 Union, who is now 37-4 and on a 15-match winning streak. The two teams have not played this season. That matchup will be in Montezuma on Monday at 7 PM.

Davis County was also a road winner in five sets, defeating Central Lee, 3-2. The Mustangs will face #5 Mount Vernon in Washington on Monday looking to surprise their way to state out of Class 3A Region 8.

The next night of volleyball action is Thursday, when Class 1A and 2A settle their regional semifinals.

Two area teams are looking to get one step closer to state: Pella Christian and Pekin.

PC is heading to Truro to face Central Decatur at 7 PM in the Region 5 semis, while Mediapolis will host Pekin at 7 PM in the Region 8 semis. Pella Christian has not faced Central Decatur this year, while Mediapolis swept Pekin in their lone meeting back on September 8^th.

You can check out more volleyball scores and stories on radiokmzn.com as the rounds wind down.

Class 1A and 2A continued their postseason volleyball action on Monday night, and several area teams were in action.

In a game heard on 104.9 FM KBOE, the KBOE mobile app, and kboeradio.com, Pella Christian ousted North Mahaska in straight sets, 25-21, 25-20, 25-12. North Mahaska’s season ends at 16-14.

PC moves into the semifinal round in Class 2A Region 5 on Thursday in Pleasantville.

In other Class 2A action, Pekin defeated Sigourney on the road, 3-0. Pekin now travels to face Mediapolis on Thursday for a trip to the Class 2A Region 8 semifinals at 7 PM.

It wasn’t a good night to be an area team in Class 1A, as all remaining teams were eliminated.

BGM was beaten by #2 Hudson, 3-1, to end their season in Class 1A Region 4. In Region 8, English Valleys was swept by #12 New London, 3-0, and Tri-County was wiped out of the bracket by #10 Iowa Valley, 3-0.

Class 3A, 4A, and 5A are in action Tuesday night in the regional semifinals.

Centerville hosts Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont and Davis County travels to face Central Lee in Class 3A.

#1 Pella hosts Carlisle in Class 4A Region 3, while in Region 6, Grinnell is at #3 Marion and Oskaloosa is at Mount Pleasant.

You can hear that Oskaloosa at Mount Pleasant matchup on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app. Pregame begins at 6:45 with the first serve at 7 PM.

Oskaloosa–John Altieri (So., Warwick, R.I., Sociology) will begin his second collegiate career on the national radar as the NAIA’s preseason top-20 poll was releasedWednesday.

The 125-pound sophomore, who was 22-15 and qualified for nationals last year, is rated ninth in the NAIA.  His ranking has helped William Penn to 4.5 points and an unofficial ranking of #31.

Grand View is first with 142.5 points, while Indiana Tech is second at 74.5 points.  Oklahoma City (69), Montana State-Northern (68), and Dickinson State (N.D.) and Williams Baptist (Ark.) (both at 67) round out the top five.

In the Central Region, the navy and gold are seventh with 50 points, while GVU tops the standings with 217 points.

Individually, Altieri leads the way in second at 125, while Nick Wise (Sr., Phoenix, Ariz., Exercise Science) is next in fifth at 184.  141-pounder Fabian Rodriguez (So., Manassas, Va., Business Management) and 285-pounder Matthew Cuthbert (So., Yucaipa, Calif., Sociology) are both sixth at their respective weights.

For the complete polls, click here http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=211063707

William Penn begins the season on November 5 by traveling to Des Moines for the Grand View Open.

Story provided by Wade Steinlage

The regional brackets for volleyball got underway in Class 3A, 4A and 5A on Wednesday and five teams advanced with wins.

The most impressive win came from Oskaloosa, as heard on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com. The Indians trailed Fairfield 2 sets to none, but dominated in the third set, held on to the fourth in a back-and-forth battle, then cruised in the fifth set to clinch the improbable come-from-behind win.

The Indians advance to the Class 4A Region 6 Semifinals where they will face Mount Pleasant. That match will be on Tuesday, October 25, at 7 PM in Mount Pleasant. That can be heard on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com starting around 6:45.

Also in Region 6, Grinnell beat Newton at home, 3-1. Grinnell will face #3 Marion next Tuesday.

Class 4A Region 3 saw Knoxville fall at home to Carlisle, 3-0. Top-ranked Pella will now face Carlisle in Pella next Tuesday.

Washington was in action in Eldridge facing North Scott, but fell in straight sets to end their season.

In Class 3A, Region 5 produced two victorious area teams. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont is looking to get to state for the fourth straight year. They took their first step to doing that with a straight sets win over PCM. They’ll play Centerville, who outlasted Chariton at home in a five-set thriller. That match will be in Centerville on Tuesday.

Region 8 in Class 3A saw Davis County advance with a straight sets win over Albia at home. The Mustangs will take on Central Lee, who got a five-set win over West Burlington. That match is in Donnellson on Tuesday.

In the top half of that Region 8 bracket, Mid-Prairie fell in straight sets to Williamsburg to end their season.

Finally, in Class 5A Region 6, Ottumwa battled with Burlington, but fell short in a 3-0 sweep. Burlington advances to face Bettendorf next week.

As mentioned, the semifinal round in all three large school classes takes place on Tuesday at 7 PM.

Last night, the volleyball playoffs got underway in Class 1A and 2A and there were some tight battles across the area.

In Class 1A Region 4, BGM punched their ticket to the second round by beating Meskwaki Settlement School in straight sets. The Bears will face #2 Hudson in the second round next Monday.

In the bottom half of that bracket Lynnville-Sully and Melcher-Dallas were eliminated in straight sets by Southeast Warren and Ankeny Christian, respectively.

English Valleys and Tri-County advanced in Class 1A Region 8. EV had a tough matchup with Keota, but was able to come out on top in five sets. They’ll battle #12 New London on the road next Monday in the second round. Tri-County upended Twin Cedars in Bussey, 3-0. Moravia fell to Wayne in a five-set thriller to wrap up their season.

In Class 2A Region 4, Montezuma battled hard, but ultimately fell short, losing in five sets to Colfax-Mingo on the road. C-M will now face #9 Woodward-Granger.

North Mahaska dominated Pleasantville in Class 2A Region 5, as heard on 104.9 FM KBOE and kboeradio.com. The 3-0 sweep on the road sets up a matchup with Pella Christian for the Warhawks next Monday.

Finally, in Class 2A Region 8, Pekin went on the road and swept Cardinal. That sets up a battle with rival Sigourney in the second round Monday at SHS.

All second round matchups for Class 1A and 2A will be contested Monday, October 24^th, at 7 PM.

Class 3A, 4A, and 5A begin postseason play on Wednesday night. You can hear the Oskaloosa Indians take on Fairfield on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, on the KMZN mobile app, and on radiokmzn.com. Pregame will start around 6:45 for the 7 PM first serve.

Oskaloosa–The Statesmen women’s soccer team continues to receive recognition for its strong work in the classroom last year as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America announced its list of Team Academic Award winners.

WPU was one of 893 total soccer programs (315 men, 578 women) throughout the country (all divisions) to collect the 2015-2016 honor.  The team owned a 3.14 collective Grade Point Average.

To qualify for the award, a team must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 for the entire year.  The team GPA is determined by adding every player’s GPA, then dividing by the number of players.

The full list of team academic award recipients can be found at http://www.nscaa.com/web/News/Articles/October_2016/NSCAA_Announces_2015-2016_College_Team_Academic_Award_Winners.aspx

Story provided by Wade Steinlage