CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa [BRACKET | SCHEDULE] - The higher seeds won their respective matches on the second day of pool play at the 2024 NAIA Men's Volleyball Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

No. 6 Saint Xavier (Ill.) (22-8) def. No. 11 Westcliff (Calif.) (18-8), 3-1 (27-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-21) | Box Score

• The teams went back and forth in the opening set. After 16 scoring ties, SXU closed the set after a tie score of 25 with a kill from Alessandro Gianotti and a Westcliff attack error.
• SXU opened the second set with a six-point unanswered scoring run. That lead propelled the Cougars to a 25-16 set two win.
• Westcliff went on a 9-3 scoring run to open the third set. Saint Xavier worked to close that scoring gap to 17. The teams also tied the score at 18, 19 and 20 points before the Warriors went on a four-point run sparked by a kill off the hand of Gabriel Pizza. That space allowed the Warriors to win their first set of the match 25-22. Westcliff held the Cougars to .000 attack percentage in the set.
• Westcliff started the fourth set with a strong 7-1 lead. However, SXU chipped away at the scoring deficit to tie the score at 15 and 16 points. The Cougars then scored the next two crucial points that secured a narrow lead that they maintained to a 25-21 set four win and closed out the match.
• Matt Pennala of Saint Xavier led all scorers with 20 kills. Gabriel Pizza of Westcliff followed with 15 kills.
• Saint Xavier held Westcliff to 0.125 attack percentage or below in three of the four sets.

No. 7 Georgetown (Ky.) (25-6) def. No. 10 Lawrence Tech (Mich.) (15-16), 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-13) | Box Score

• The teams battled back and forth for the lead until Georgetown went on an 8-3 run, which gave them space to win the set 25-17.
• The teams opened the second set with a battle for control until 11 all when Georgetown went on a 6-2 run to create enough of a scoring gap that the Tigers were able to close out the set 25-22.
• More back-and-forth action to open the third set led to a six-point run sparked by a kill off the hand of Adam Szewinski of Georgetown. GC did not relinquish that lead and captured the third set with a final score of 25-13.
• Ryan Gunn of Georgetown led all scorers with 16 kills in the match. His teammate Krzysztof Kowalski followed with 14 kills.
• Mario Cid of LTU posted an impressive attack percentage of 0.714 and did not record any attack errors in the match.
• The Tigers posted a set-high 0.609 attack percentage in the third set, limiting their attack errors to two. GC recorded a match attack percentage of 0.453.

No. 5 William Penn (Iowa) (22-6) def. No. 12 Reinhardt (Ga.) (29-1), 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-11, 25-15) | Box Score

• William Penn established its lead with a 5-1 scoring run after a tie score of eight. The Statesmen maintained that lead to win the first set 25-16.
• WPU opened the second set on a 4-1 run. RU chipped away at the Statesmen’s lead and tied the score at 10. William Penn took the lead while Reinhardt remained within four points. Reinhardt closed the gap once again at 23. It was two WPU errors that closed out the set for Reinhardt who claimed its first set win 25-23 to tie the match at one set apiece.
• The Statesmen opened the third set with a 7-1 run for a lead that they would not forfeit to regain the lead in the match with two sets to one.
• After a tie score of four all, William Penn captured the lead on a 4-1 scoring run. The Statesmen kept the Eagles at arm’s length with a scoring gap of as many as five points before WPU closed out the match with a set three score of 25-15.
• Landon Krause of WPU led all scorers with 16 kills in the match. His teammate Britten Beallis followed with 13 kills. Beallis also posted a 0.632 attack percentage with 13 kills on 19 attempts and only one error.

No. 8 Jamestown (N.D.) (21-1) vs No. 9 Mount Mercy (Iowa) (24-9), 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-14, 25-13) | Box Score

• Jamestown opened the match with a 5-0 run that the Mustangs were unable to overcome en route to a 25-19 set one win.
• Mount Mercy flipped the narrative in set two, as the Mustangs opened set two with a 6-1 run. UJ closed the scoring gap at 13, but MMU hit its stride again with an 8-1 run that gave the Mustangs a large enough scoring gap to close out set two 25-20 and tie the match at one set apiece.
• The teams traded points at the start of the third match until a 6-2 run gave Jamestown a three-point lead that they would extend to as many as 11 points to win the set and lead the match two sets to one.
• The Jimmies capitalized on some Mount Mercy errors in the fourth set and opened with a 10-1 scoring run. UJ carried that lead through the remainder of the set for a 25-13 set four win.
• Colin Castelnau of Mount Mercy led all scorers with 13 kills. Caydann Cox of Jamestown followed with 11 kills.
• Tysen Myers of Jamestown posted 8 total blocks (2 solo, 6 assisted) in the contest.

Pools C and D have a potential tiebreak scenario should the top seed in each pool win their match on Thursday. The tie-break procedures are listed HERE. Should a tiebreak be needed, sets will take place on Friday morning. Stay tuned to naia.org for updates. 

Day three of pool play at the NAIA Men's Volleyball Championship will open with Pool C and feature No. 3 Grand View and No. 6 Saint Xavier at 10 a.m. CT.