Mustangs Charge Past Defenders in Road Victory

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa - Mount Mercy's men's volleyball team earned another hard-fought win on Saturday, taking down the Dordt Defenders on the road, 3-1, with set scores of 25-23, 25-22, 20-25, and 25-19.

Right from the first set, the Mustangs showed they would not go down without a fight. Trailing by no more than three points in the opening set, the Mustangs delivered a solid 25-23 victory, hitting .226 and recording 12 kills while holding the Defenders to a .176 hitting percentage. In the second set, the Mustangs posted a match-high .333 hitting percentage with 15 kills, aiding in their 25-22 win.

Trailing 2-0 in the match, the Defenders came out swinging in set three, hitting .276 and putting up a strong defensive effort that limited the Mustangs to 13 kills and a .118 hitting percentage. Dordt took the set 25-20, cutting Mount Mercy's lead to 2-1. However, the Mustangs closed out the match in the fourth set with a 25-19 win to secure the 3-1 victory.

The Mustangs' middle attackers shined in the match, led by Matthew Krzos, who recorded 13 kills with a .476 hitting percentage while contributing to five blocks. Raphael Massara was close behind, hitting .688 with 11 kills and adding three blocks.

Guglielmo Illotti also reached double figures with 10 kills, finishing with a .143 hitting percentage. Illotti picked up seven digs, while Gustavo Bauer led the team with nine digs and paced the Mustang offense with 37 assists.

Mount Mercy finished the match hitting .226 overall with 52 kills, while the Defenders were limited to a .197 hitting percentage and 49 total kills.

Dordt's offense was led by Andres Guzman, who recorded 19 kills with a .324 hitting percentage, followed by Kail Chapman and Cade Schmidt with 10 kills each.

Mount Mercy (12-2, 7-1 Heart) will be back on the road on Friday, March 7, traveling to St. Louis, Mo., to take on Missouri Baptist at 7:00 p.m.