Sports

April 8, 2022 Men’s volleyball falls in Heart tourney semifinals

Mariana Figueroa Editor

The men’s volleyball team might consider the Heart of America semifinals match on March 30 a night to forget.

The Pirates lost to the William Penn University Statesman 3-1 in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

While the first set started rough, everything turned around in the Pirates favor after Coach Mike Talamantes called a timeout at the 6-3 point. Following that, and thanks in part to five service errors by the Statesmen, Park closed out the first set 25-21, taking a 1-0 lead.

However, this would be the only set won by the Pirates. William Penn came back strong after losing the first set. The Pirates didn’t hold the lead at all in the second set. At 23-18, the Pirates tried to rally, going on a 3-0 run. But the Statesmen showed their determination not to let another set slip away. They regained possession of the service and won 25-22 to draw the match level at 1-1.

The Statesmen seemed to get into gear in the third set. The Statesmen found success and continuity on both sides of the court thanks to 18 kills from outside hitter Ike Papes and 21 kills from right side Landon Krause.

Krause also finished with the best attack percentage, confirming himself as the most effective of the match with 21 kills. William Penn’s hitting stats were brilliant in this set as they hit with a .500 percentage against the Pirates’.083. This time the set ended 25-20 for the Statesmen.

The fourth and final set started 3-0 in favor of the Pirates, but it was just a sad illusion. Five points later, the set was tied 4-4, and soon after that William Penn managed the largest lead of the night – eight points. The protagonist of the goldblue comeback was Kraus’ serve that inflicted several aces on Park’s receiving line. The Statesmen closed the set earlier this time at 25-18.

The timeouts and the numerous changes made by Talamates didn’t bring the success the Pirates needed. This confirmed the difficulties the Pirates faced all season when they found themselves away from the Breckon’s friendly walls. Five of the team’s six losses have been on the road this season.

For Park, Joao Friedrich ended the game with 12 kills, and Daniel Isernhagen PHOTO COURTESY/William Penn For the second time this season, the Park men’s volleyball team lost on the road against William Penn.

with four individual blocks, matching his season-high.

Despite being denied access to the conference finals, the Pirates were seeded seventh for the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship tournament. The team is headed to Des Moines, Iowa, to begin pool play on April 12.

Track and Field competes at Emporia State

Jaylynn Tucker Reporter

Park University Track and Field athletes performed this previous week on Friday and Saturday at Emporia University. All team athletes were able to participate in this two day meet.

Shikayla Walker, a senior thrower, felt she performed well on both meet days, despite battling with a sprained MCL.

She said it was good to compete, “finally getting back across the ring and taking full control.” Along with Walker’s great perforPHOTO/Jaylynn Tucker The track and field teams are preparing for conference championships in May.

mance Malike Calahoun, freshman jumper, also had a good performance at the meet.

“I think I performed pretty good after finally staying consistent throughout each jump approach and getting a legal jump,” Calhoun said.

Allyson Anderson, junior sprinter and one of the team co-captains, participated in the 400-meter dash.

“This is my second race post-injury after being out for the bulk of the indoor season, so I am happy with the fact that I am continuing to progress in a decent peace safe and healthy manner,” Anderson, said.

She said she went into this meet with certain goals in mind.

“My initial goal was to win my heat and run a 59 or 60 second 400. I met my goal of winning my heat, but fell short on time,” Anderson said.

The Park Track and Field athletes will next compete on Saturday, April 9 at Pittsburg State University.

SPORTS

April 8, 2022 Park esports introducing new games for 2022-23

Nathan Dunn Editor

Esports and video games, in general, have become more popular throughout the world. Park’s esports team has been part of that movement for four seasons, competing out of the Parkade Battlegrounds in the underground.

“The bigger esports gets in the collegiate space and the scholastic space; the better for everyone as more and more people buy-in,” said Adam Farm, Park esports head coach. “I think it’s going to grow much more rapidly, especially when high schools start picking it up.”

According to Harvard International Review esports are, “…video games that are played in a highly organized competitive environment. These games can range from popular, team-oriented multiplayer online battle arenas, to single player first person shooters, to survival battle royales, to virtual reconstructions of physical sports.”

Farm has been part of the local esports movement both collegiately and in high schools. He described esports as “a multi-player competitive video game.”

The esports program at Park currently competes in League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, Valorant and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. With 14 players on the roster, Park’s team is looking to grow its esports program to include more players and more games.

Farm said he is hoping to introduce more mainstream games such as Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Halo, Rainbow Six Siege and Fortnite. In addition to those games, Farm would welcome recruits who play sports-based video games such as FIFA, NBA 2K PHOTO/Nathan Dunn Park esports is looking to expand its program to include more gaming options and more gamers. Below: Park esports head coach Adam Farm.

Upcoming Games

April 8 April 9

April 10 April 12

April 13 April 14 April 15

April 16

April 20 April 21 April 22

Baseball @ Evangel Track/Field @ Gorilla Classic Baseball @ Evangel Softball @ Graceland Softball @ Peru State Men’s Volleyball Nationals Pool Baseball vs Columbia Softball @ Central Methodist Men’s Volleyball Nationals Pool Men’s Volleyball Nationals Pool Track/Field @ Mule Relays Men’s Volleyball Semifinals Softball vs William Penn Baseball @ Baker Men’s Volleyball Finals Baseball @ Baker Softball vs Grand View Softball vs Benedictine Beach Volleyball Nationals Beach Volleyball Nationals Softball @ MidAmerica Naz. and Madden.

As his first year at Park concludes, Farm sees the esports team as a community that presents students with the opportunity to compete in non-traditional college athletics.

“We’re not super exclusive at Park. We’re not trying to look for the best of the best. We just want to give a really good community to those that want to find it or feel like other communities don’t fit for them.”

Farm said that a boost in recruitment would allow his program to implement a varsity and junior varsity setup for next year.

At Park, Farm said esports players can expect two days of practice before playing the match. After the match, players will review their performance before returning to practice.

“If players have the desire to compete, the desire to improve and the willingness to take a more serious approach to the games they play at home, then Park’s probably a right fit for them,” Farm said.

Farm said there are scholarships available. The monetary amount varies based on in-game skill, academic performance and an individual’s financial situation.

Since not enough schools have esports to participate in the NAIA or NCAA, collegiate esports is governed by the Kansas City-based National Association of Collegiate Esports. The esports season lasts all year. Tournaments run for eight to 10 weeks.

For those that don’t want to make a commitment to the team, the Parkade is still open 24/7 for recreational play. PHOTO COURTESY/Park University