Mustang Weekly Recap (Jan. 27 - Feb. 2)
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL: It was a busy week for the Mustang men's volleyball program, competing in three matches, going 2-1 in those matches. Against St. Ambrose to kick off the week on Tuesday, the Mustangs swept the Bees with set scores of 25-22, 25-18, and 25-20. Gabor Toth would be the only Mustang in double digit kills, registering 10 kills on 26 attempts, good for a hitting percentage of .231. Neither team was able to generate a ton of momentum in the match, as there were a combined 37 service errors between the teams. Richard Struska and Raphael Massara would each lead the team in service aces with two.
Against second-ranked St. Xavier on Friday, the Mustangs would win the first set before ultimately dropping the matchup in four sets. Toth would once again be the only Mustang in double figures for kills, once again recording 10 kills. Brian Lynch would not be far behind, registering nine kills, while Massara and Pere Font Torres each had six. In the weekend finale against Trinity Christian, the Mustangs would register a .300 hitting percentage or higher in each of the three sets played. Guglielmo Illotti had arguably his best game of his young Mustang career, blasting 17 kills with zero errors on 28 attempts, good for a hitting percentage of .607. Illotti wouldn't just stop there, he would also lead the team in service aces with three.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: The Mustangs went 0-2 on the week, struggling against Grand View before falling in a narrow defeat to Benedictine. Against the Vikings, the Mustangs struggled to get their offense going, making just 16 shots in the contest. Malie Marfil would be the only Mustang in double figures, scoring 13 points on 5-11 shooting. Marfil and Madison Skelton would each finish the game tied for a team high in rebounds with seven.
Against Benedictine, four Mustangs would score at least 10, led once again by Marfil who scored a game high 19 on 8-12 shooting. She would be joined by Annika Headington (13), Claudia Vanzant (12), and Skelton (11). Vanzant would make her return to the court following an injury, grabbing a share of the team high in rebounds with seven, as Marfil would also pull down seven boards.
MEN'S BASKETBALL: The Mustangs would start the week off with a loss against Grand View, before snapping a nine game skid and sweeping the season series over Benedictine on Saturday. Against the Vikings, Cameron Williams would lead the team on the offensive end, putting up 21 points on 8-15 shooting, including registering five made threes. Jaxson Fried would join him in double figures, scoring 11 points while also grabbing a team high seven boards, along with Jackson Tegeler. All but two Mustangs would score in the loss, as the Mustangs scored 19 bench points in the loss.
Against Benedictine, Fried would go off for 26 points on 9-14 shooting, including shooting 80% from beyond the arc. He would be joined by Rusmir Hamzic in scoring at least 20 points in the matchup, with Hamzic registering 20 points on 8-11 shooting. The game would mark the Mustangs second best shooting performance of the season, shooting 53.4% as a team, second only to the loss against Culver-Stockton in December, where the Mustangs would shoot 55.7% from the floor.
BASEBALL: The Mustangs would split the season opening four game slate with Mount Marty, registering a win and a loss each on Saturday and Sunday in neutral site games in Omaha. In game one, the Mustangs would come back from a three-run deficit in the fifth inning by belting three straight home runs off the bats of Jaden Hackbarth, Jeremy Figueroa, and Josh Notriano. The Mustangs would eventually fall in extras, starting off the season with a loss. In the nightcap on Saturday, the offense would be all about the Mustangs, winning game two by a score of 10-0. Hackbarth would once again blast a two run shot in the win, as Owen Coffman earned his first win of his Mount Mercy career, throwing nearly five innings while striking out seven.
On Sunday, the Mustangs would start the season off with a win, escaping with a 5-4 win. It was Figueroa's turn to hit a two-run shot of his own, which was his second long ball of the season. Derek Einertson and Tyler Pecson would each card RBI's in the win, as Tyler Nagelbach earned the win, while Erik Kiewiet earned his first save in a Mustang uniform. In the series finale, the Mustang offense was held in check by Mount Marty pitching, only mustering four hits in the shutout loss. The middle of the Mustang order would give the Mustangs a little spark on offense, as Notriano, Pecson, and Nick Meyer would all card hits, along with Garrett Dennis.
MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD: The Mustangs would compete at the Grinnell Invitational on Saturday, as Breon Wade would nearly finish at the top of the 60 meters, placing second in both qualifying and the finals. He would improve his time in the finals by .06 seconds, clocking a time of 6.85. In the 400 meters, Noah Valenzuela and Ty Costigan would each finish in the top-10, with Valenzuela taking fourth with a time of 52.74, while Costigan ended with a time of 54.50. In the field, Omar Salinas would finish in the top-five in the shot put, with a final measurement of 13.77 meters.
WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD: At the Grinnell Invitational, Kaylee Bunn would place third in the 60 meters, ending with a time of 8.08. In the 800 meters, Abby Knepper would finish with the top spot on the team, ending in third place with a time of 2:28.82. In the field, three Mustangs would place in the top-10 of the shot put, with Bre Nail leading the way in second place with a mark of 13.11 meters. Ava Conrad and Alyssa Striegel wouldn't be too far behind, with marks of 11.91 and 11.54 meters, respectively, good for sixth and ninth place. Jzonei Jones, Ava Conrad, and Striegel would all finish in the top six of the weight throw, with Jones taking the team's top spot in fourth place with a mark of 14.64 meters.