Morningside bounces back in four-setter over Dordt

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Morningside men's volleyball coach Noah Marasco-Ayau liked what he saw before Tuesday's match against Dordt, and it showed in a four-set win to open Heart of America Conference play.

The Mustangs (12-1, 1-0 HAAC) defeated the Defenders 18-25, 25-21, 25-23 and 25-23. After dropping the opening set, Marasco-Ayau reminded his team of the relaxed approach that has fueled its success early in the season.

"I told them to treat this like any other game," Marasco-Ayau said. "Play free. Yes, it's a big game, and yes, it matters. We just wanted them to play in the system we taught them and let their bodies be loose. If we weren't so tense in that first set, we probably would have won it."

Morningside responded by hitting .448 in the second set with 15 kills, closing the frame by scoring four of the final five points behind two kills apiece from Mohamed Benkrid and Natan Alves. Alves finished with a team-high 18 kills, while Benkrid added 14.

M�� (SET 2): Morningside evens the match with a 25-21 win. Mohamed Benkrid got the kill, and Malu Wilcox earned the assist. pic.twitter.com/gG6D3AgZy0

— Morningside Scoreboard (@MsideScoreboard) February 11, 2026

"This is an incredible win," Benkrid said. "We played in system, and all thanks to the coaches for preparing us for this game. They pushed us so hard. This team is not just the six people on the court; it's also the guys on the bench."

The Mustangs carried that momentum into the third set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead. Dordt stayed within reach, but Morningside took the lead for good at 21-20 following a Defenders hitting error, then used a pair of Alves kills to secure the set.

Set 3 (M��): Morningside 25, Dordt 23. Natan Alves -- who leads the Mustangs with 12 kills -- closed the set with this hit! pic.twitter.com/4PsG8hLnXZ

— Morningside Scoreboard (@MsideScoreboard) February 11, 2026

In the fourth set, Morningside limited Dordt to .053 hitting while collecting 13 kills offensively. The Mustangs led by as many as six points before Alves closed out the match with back-to-back kills.

Mustangs win! Here's match point that also closed Set 4! pic.twitter.com/DRTCBFOJNj

— Morningside Scoreboard (@MsideScoreboard) February 11, 2026

Lucca Stoelinga led the offense with 23 assists, while Draider Wilcox added 21. Braden Maneja recorded a team-high 12 digs, followed by Tucker Juhnke with 11. Alves also finished with two solo blocks.

"The biggest thing for us was knowing Dordt was going to be a great matchup and not getting upset when they scored," Marasco-Ayau said. "We could've chalked it up as a loss, but we played whistle to whistle."

Morningside returns to action with two more home matches this week, hosting William Penn at 7 p.m. Friday before facing Grand View at 7 p.m. Saturday.