William Penn Overpowered by Ottawa in 3-0 Loss

Ottawa, Kan.--The William Penn men's volleyball team struggled to keep pace with Ottawa in a 3-0 setback Tuesday in a Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup.

The Statesmen (15-9, 12-5 Heart) were overpowered by the Braves (15-10, 9-8 Heart), falling with set scores of 25-13, 26-24, and 25-17.

In the opening set, Ottawa seized an early 6-5 lead and quickly extended their advantage to 18-8. The Statesmen briefly traded points but couldn't mount a sustained rally. Despite closing the gap to 23-13, William Penn was unable to respond as Ottawa cruised to a 25-13 win in the first set.

The second set saw more back-and-forth action, with both teams locked at 8-8 early on. Ottawa managed to build a slim two-point lead, but the Statesmen fought back, tying the game at 17-17. William Penn then pushed ahead, taking a 24-22 advantage, but Ottawa responded with a decisive 4-0 run to steal the set 26-24.

Ottawa carried a narrow lead into the third set, but the Statesmen briefly turned the tide, taking a 12-11 advantage. However, the Braves quickly regained control, embarking on an 11-3 scoring run to lead 22-15. Despite a late push, the Statesmen couldn't recover, and Ottawa secured the set 25-17 to complete the sweep.

Offensively, William Penn was outmatched by Ottawa's high-powered attack, posting a .108 hitting percentage compared to Ottawa's .368. The Braves also held a commanding 43-30 edge in kills, while the Statesmen struggled with 20 attack errors.

Ben Cemeno-Castillo (Jr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) led the way for the Statesmen with 16 kills. On defense, Brady Zell (Fr., Wales, Wis., Business Management) set up 26 assists, and João Gabriel Filippelli (So., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) anchored the backline with 7 digs.

Next Up: The Statesmen return to action Saturday at 11:00 a.m. when they host Park at the Penn Activity Center in another Heart of America showdown.