CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - [BOX SCORE] The Master’s (Calif.) Mustangs opened NAIA Men’s Volleyball Championship pool play with a straight-set win over William Penn (Iowa) Statesmen, taking the April 28 match at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 25-23, 25-17, 25-16 to move to 23-1 on the season while the Statesmen fell to 18-8.

Set 1 was the only frame that stayed tight to the end, with William Penn hitting .273 (9 kills, 3 errors on 22 swings) and pushing the pace behind Marton Sebestyen early. The Master’s answered with volume and balance, posting 17 kills in the opener and edging the Statesmen 25-23 despite committing eight attack errors. That late separation proved to be the turning point, as The Master’s cleaned up its offense as the match progressed while William Penn’s efficiency dipped.

The Master’s took control in set two by raising its hitting percentage to .345 (14 kills, 4 errors, 29 attempts) while holding William Penn to .154. The Statesmen managed only eight kills in the set, while The Master’s used steady sideout offense to build a cushion and close 25-17.

By set three, The Master’s offense reached its peak, hitting .588 (12 kills, 2 errors on 17 attempts) and running away 25-16. William Penn produced its best efficiency of the match in the third at .375, but the set was decided by The Master’s ability to score in bunches and apply consistent pressure across rotations.

Individually, Sebestyen led William Penn with 11 kills on .360 hitting, and setter Brady Zell directed the offense with 25 assists. Tommy Fellows added five kills and Emilio Spanner had five. At the net, William Penn finished with six assisted blocks, led by Britten Beallis and Fellows with two block assists apiece.

The Master’s spread production across multiple attackers and finished the match at .372 as a team (43 kills, 14 errors on 78 attempts), giving them the edge over William Penn’s .250. Ezra Vlad delivered a flawless nine kills on nine swings for a 1.000 hitting percentage and added four block assists, while Trace Oswald matched him with nine kills on .467 and contributed two aces. Garrett Beall chipped in seven kills on .700, and Andrew Karges added seven on .462. Setter Matthew Hamm orchestrated the attack with 37 assists, and The Master’s also won the service battle with 10 aces, led by Isaac Seltzer’s three and Oswald’s two.

The Master's will play its second match on Thursday, April 30 at 1 p.m. CT, while William Penn will take the court again Wednesday, April 29 at 1 p.m. CT. Both teams will be facing St. Thomas (Fla.) in their next matches.