Statesmen Deliver Commanding Victory Over Mustangs

Oskaloosa--The No. 15 William Penn men's volleyball team delivered a dominant 3-0 sweep over Morningside in a Heart of America Athletic Conference competition Friday.

The Statesmen (10-7, 7-3 Heart) left little room for the Mustangs (9-11, 4-8 Heart) to find any rhythm, taking the match with scores of 25-22, 25-18, and 25-14.

Morningside initially seized an 8-2 advantage in the opening set, but William Penn quickly rallied to even the score at 10-10. The two teams continued to trade points until a 6-1 run by the Statesmen propelled them to a 22-17 lead. Although the Mustangs fought to close the gap, the Statesmen remained poised, finishing the set with a 25-22 victory.

The second set saw William Penn establish control early with a 12-7 lead. Though Morningside battled back, the Statesmen maintained a steady five-point advantage, finishing strong with a 4-2 run to close out the set, 25-18.

The third set was all William Penn, who opened with an impressive 10-3 run and never looked back. The Statesmen built a commanding 16-7 lead, and although Morningside attempted to respond with a brief 5-3 run, William Penn sealed the match with a final 6-2 push, winning 25-14.

The Statesmen dominated both offensively and defensively, outpacing Morningside 38-29 in kills and boasting a .274 to .044 advantage in attack percentage. While William Penn committed just 15 attack errors, the Mustangs struggled with 25.

Ben Cemeno-Castillo (Jr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) led the charge with 16 kills, while Britten Beallis (Jr., Naperville, Ill., Sports Management) contributed seven. Both juniors were highly efficient, with Cemeno-Castillo hitting at a .615 clip and Bealis at .667.

Brady Zell (Fr., Wales, Wis., Business Management) quarterbacked the offense with 32 assists, while João Gabriel Filippelli (So., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) and Zell anchored the defense with 10 and seven digs, respectively.

"Great win tonight," said Head Coach Luke Bentley. "Looking for another good showing tomorrow morning with a quick turnaround."

Next Up: The Statesmen will face Dordt Saturday at 11:00 a.m. in the Penn Activity Center for another Heart of America Athletic Conference contest.