Mustangs Fall in a Deciding Fifth Set to the Vikings
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mount Mercy (15-16, 11-6) | 23 | 25 | 17 | 25 | 10 | 2 |
|
Grand View (13-13, 11-4) | 25 | 19 | 25 | 23 | 15 | 3 |
DES MOINES, Iowa | The Mustangs fall to the Grand View Vikings in five sets, with scores of 23-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-23, and 10-15.
The match opened up with Grand View taking set one despite the Mustangs recording 17 kills and a .300 hitting percentage. Set two go the Mustangs as they found some momentum offensively as they collected 13 kills and a .150 hitting percentage, holding the Vikings to ten kills and a .045 hitting percentage. The Vikings became an offensive force in set three as they had a .310 hitting percentage while preventing the Mustangs from being able to get their offense going and only recorded seven kills with a .000 hitting percentage. Being down 2-1, the Mustangs sent the match to a deciding fifth set to extend the game with one of the best offensive performances of the match with a .346 hitting percentage with 12 kills. To close out the match, the Vikings would win the deciding set by allowing the Mustangs to record only five kills for a .333 hitting percentage.
The Mustangs overall recorded 54 kills with a .221 hitting percentage. Mary Kate Bendlage had a great performance in the match after recording 21 kills for a .269 hitting percentage, as well as collecting 12 digs. Jenna Brown was the next offensive leader for the Mustangs, as she had 12 kills, a .321 hitting percentage, and four block assists. Sam Schrage was close behind Brown with seven kills and a .037 hitting percentage. Hailey Hested ended the match with 46 assists and ten digs, with Rylie Mussman adding 30 digs.
The Vikings ended the match with 61 kills and a .190 hitting percentage as a team. Sydney Beasley was the leading attacker for the Vikings with 20 kills and a .224 hitting percentage, with teammate Brooklyn Roder following with 11 kills and a .321 hitting percentage.
The Mustangs will be back in action as they welcome the Clarke Pride to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for their final home game of the season on Tuesday, November 5th, with first serve starting promptly at 7:00 PM.