Mustangs sweep Firestorm, beat Broncos in 4

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — In its first two home matches of the season, the Morningside men's volleyball team won both on Friday.

The Mustangs (10-1) defeated Hastings in four sets, while in the nightcap, they swept Arizona Christian.

Morningside 25-20-25-25, Hastings 20-25-14-18

After Hastings evened the match in the second set, the Mustangs took control by hitting efficiently and applying steady pressure at the net. Morningside hit .440 in the third set and never let the Broncos settle in, using balanced offense and timely blocks to build separation.

M��: Morningside wins the first match of our weekend tournament, defeating Hastings 25-20, 20-25, 25-14, and 25-18. Natan Alves led the Mustangs with 19 kills.

Here's how the third set ended, thanks to this kill from Mohamed Benkrid with Draider Wilcox. pic.twitter.com/1CbjuSc814

— Morningside Mustangs �� (@MsideMustangs) February 6, 2026

Natan Alves led the Mustangs with 19 kills while hitting .514, adding an ace and three digs. Mohamed Benkrid followed with 11 kills on a .346 hitting percentage and factored into five block assists. Ferdinando Vinti added 10 kills, while Edoardo Pirazzo chipped in seven kills and six total blocks.

Draider Wilcox ran the offense with a team-high 31 assists, while Lucca Stoelinga and Braden Maneja helped keep the attack moving. Defensively, Tucker Juhnke paced the Mustangs with 14 digs, and Maneja added 14 digs of his own.

As a team, Morningside finished with 50 kills and hit .311.

Morningside 26-25-25, Ariz. Christian 24-14-22

The Mustangs led by as many as five points during the first set, and it closed the frame behind timely kills and defensive stops to grab the 26-24 win. Benkrid had a kill that gave the Mustangs the lead, and a hitting error by the Firestorm clinched the frame.

From there, the Mustangs settled in, hitting more efficiently and controlling the tempo in the final two sets. They jumped out to an 18-8 lead during the second set. Alves closed the set with a kill.

Natan Alves led the Mustangs with 10 kills while hitting .474, adding two service aces and seven digs. Mohamed Benkrid followed with nine kills on a .333 hitting percentage, while Mauro Verstraeten provided a spark off the bench with six kills on eight attempts.

Edoardo Pirazzo finished with five kills and 2.5 total blocks, anchoring the Mustangs at the net. Wilcox directed the offense with a team-high 19 assists, while Lucca Stoelinga added 14 assists. Defensively, Maneja recorded a match-high 18 digs, and Tucker Juhnke added seven.