Strong finish clinches reverse sweep over Wildcats

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Down two sets and searching for answers, Morningside men's volleyball flipped the match on its head Friday night, rallying for a five-set reverse sweep over Culver-Stockton inside Allee Gym.

The Mustangs (18-9, 6-8) dropped the opening two sets, 25-21 and 27-25, before storming back to win 25-16, 25-19, and 15-11.

Morningside's offense found its rhythm in Set 3, hitting .429 with just three errors while totaling 15 kills. That carried into the fourth set, where the Mustangs added another 15 kills and hit .300 to force a decisive fifth.

In the final frame, Morningside wasted little time taking control. A quick 5-2 start set the tone, and kills from Mohamed Benkrid and Mauro Verstraeten helped stretch the lead throughout the set. The Mustangs closed it out behind continued pressure at the net to complete the comeback.

Benkrid led the way with 19 kills on a .419 hitting percentage, while Natan Alves added 17 kills and 10 digs for a double-double. Verstraeten chipped in 14 kills on .300 hitting, and Ferdinando Vinti provided an efficient eight kills on just 11 swings.

The Mustangs totaled 65 kills and hit .265 as a team, assisted by a balanced setting effort from Malu Wilcox (30 assists) and Lucca Stoelinga (27).

Defensively, Tucker Juhnke anchored the back row with 12 digs, helping Morningside turn the tide after the slow start.