Statesmen Topple #20 Briar Cliff
Sioux City William Penn men’s soccer took a great stride forward in their quest to reach the NAIA National Tournament Saturday afternoon. Blanking #20 Briar Cliff 3-0 on the road, the Statesmen improve to 11-7 overall and look to be in great form heading into the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament.
William Penn had been receiving votes in the coaches’ poll before the spring portion to the season started, but have not been included since. On the outside looking in, the navy and gold entered Saturday’s match on a two-game winning streak, as they took down fellow Great Plains Athletic Conference foe Northwestern at home and Hannibal-LaGrange midweek on the road. Briar Cliff had ended their winter season with a win against Hastings and a draw against Morningside, two teams ranked in the latest national poll. Both sides wanted the win to show they belong in the big dance later in April.
WPU Swept by #7 Central Methodist
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen softball team came up shy a couple times against the league leaders Saturday as it faced #7 Central Methodist in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader.
WPU (13-13, 7-7 Heart) lost by scores of 10-0 (5 innings) and 6-2.
Unfortunately, the home squad posted very little offense in the opener as Lexi Riccardi (Sr., Redwood City, Calif., Biology) (double) and Rachael Haessly (Jr., Alpine, Calif., Biology) managed the only two base knocks for the navy and gold in the opener. The Eagles (28-3, 14-2 Heart), who finished with nine hits, scored seven runs in the first inning and cruised from there.
Figy Named Second-Team All-Heart
Oskaloosa–Charlie Figy (Fr., Appleton, Wis., Sports Management) was honored for an impressive freshmen campaign as the all-Heart of America Athletic Conference men’s volleyball teams were announced Monday.
Figy was one of 10 individuals named to the second squad. There were also 10 players who earned first-team recognition, while nine more made it onto the honorable-mention team.
The award is the first for Figy, who guided the Statesmen to a 10-17 record (5-12 Heart) in the program’s first complete season.
Figy was a major cog as the WPU’s middle hitter, posting 188 kills on a .362 hitting mark. He also topped the net defense with 103 blocks (16 solos, 87 assists), while managing 46 digs, 18 aces, and eight assists.
Statesmen Split Unconventional Doubleheader
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen began a four game set against the Clarke Pride on Sunday in unconventional fashion as Clarke played the role of the home team on Penn Field.
The series was scheduled to be played down in Peosta, but weather rendered the home field of the Pride unplayable for Saturday and Sunday, so the series began in Oskaloosa in the effort of staying as close to the schedule as possible.
The Statesmen split the first doubleheader with Clarke, dropping the first game by a score of 4-0 before taking the victory in the nightcap, 2-1. The doubleheader split moved the Statesmen’s record to 19-6 overall, while their Heart of America Athletic Conference record moved to 8-2.
Deviska Scores Three More as Statesmen Sweep Aside Trojans
Hannibal, Mo. Looking for more games, William Penn men’s soccer was able to add a match against Hannibal-LaGrange on Tuesday. The Trojans played spoiler last year in the match between the two schools, but the Statesmen were more clinical and thorough in 2021. The team fed leading scorer Kenedy Deviska (Jr., Pignon, Haiti, Wellness & Recreation), who put three goals away. Along with a penalty kick goal for each side, William Penn once more put its stamp on a good win with a final score of 4-1. The team is now 10-7 overall with one last game remaining before the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament.