Mustangs Buck the Statesmen in Top-15 Battle

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Mount Mercy's men's volleyball team earned another top-15 victory Tuesday night, defeating the William Penn Statesmen 3-2. The Mustangs secured the win with set scores of 25-17, 21-25, 20-25, 25-17, and 15-12.

In the opening set, the Mustangs had control over the match. Hitting a match-high .324 with 17 kills, the Mustangs were able to take the opening set, 25-17, while limiting the Statesmen to hit .231. Momentum shifted in set two as the Mustangs struggled offensively, hitting a match-low -.027, allowing the Statesmen to claim a 25-21 win and tie the match 1-1. 

With their largest lead in set three, the Statesmen capitalized on a 19-11 advantage to secure a 25-20 win and a 2-1 match lead. Being down 2-1, the Mustangs showed they had some fight left in them heading into the fourth set. Holding a 16-10 advantage, the Mustangs fought their way to a set victory, with Raphael Massara delivering a set-ending ace on the Statesmen to send the game to a fifth set. 

Both teams fought for control in the decisive fifth set. With the Statesmen leading at the side swap, the Mustangs fought back to tie the match at 10-10. The Mustangs soon took advantage of three Statesmen errors to secure a 3-2 victory after taking set five, 15-12. 

Mount Mercy's Guglielmo Illotti led the Mustangs offensively, recording 15 kills despite hitting .093 and picking up 10 digs. Trailing Illotti was Massara with 11 kills to pair with a .421 hitting percentage while also putting up four blocks. Matthew Krzos also ended the match with 11 kills while hitting .381 and led the Mustangs with eight blocks.

Gustavo Bauer aided in the Mustangs' victory, dishing out 53 assists and grabbing 16 digs, with Richard Struska leading the defense with 21 digs. The Mustangs ended with a .145-hitting percentage in the match. 

Ben Cemeno-Castillo led the Statesmen's offense, recording 13 kills while hitting .132, with Benjamin Brinkman contributing 11 kills and a .435 hitting percentage. Brady Zell helped pace the Statesmen's offense with 39 assists and 10 digs, while Joao Gabriel Filippelli added 16 digs for the Statesmen's defense. The Statesmen ended the match hitting .140 overall. 

Mount Mercy (14-3, 9-2 Heart) will be back on the road on Saturday, March 15, as they head to Lamoni, Iowa, to take on the Graceland Yellowjackets, with the first serve set for 2:00 p.m.