CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – The OUAZ men's volleyball team fought all afternoon long on Thursday, trying to keep its National Championship hopes alive with a win over William Penn. The Spirit won the first and fourth sets, but were unable to capture the deciding set and were eliminated in five to end the 2024 season.

OUAZ got off to a great start, winning the first set by six points. In the opening set alone, the Spirit had 17 kills to William Penn's nine, and OUAZ had a .444 attack percentage.

The Statesman fought back in the middle frames, winning each by a score of 25-20. It was the Spirit's turn to take a 25-20 decision, this time extending the match to a deciding set with another 17 kills and holding WPU to nine.

OUAZ fell behind 9-6 in the fifth set, but battled all the way back to tie the deciding frame at 10. The Spirit tried to stay the course, but were unable to win the race to 15 and eventually were eliminated from the National Tournament.

As a team, OUAZ put in a great effort defensively, finishing with 13 block assists. Blake Music, Caeden Salmen, and Horatio Maumasi each had three block assists, and Chase Marcy finished with the lone solo block for the Spirit.

Addah Nestor had another amazing match attacking, finishing with 23 kills. Nestor was also a factor defensively, finishing with 11 digs and a block assist.

Emery Outin had also finished with more kills than any individual on the other side of the net, posting 14 kills. Zeo Meyer had 12 kills of his own to go along with 39 assists and joining his three other teammates with three block assists.

The amazing OUAZ men's volleyball season comes to an end at the National Championship, as the Spirit finished with a record of 19-8. For the most up-to-date information on the program, stay tuned to ouazspirit.com.