Men's Volleyball Falls Short in Heart Quarterfinals

PARKVILLE, Mo. – The Mustangs' time in the Heart of America Athletic Conference postseason tournament bracket was cut short today, as eighth-seeded Morningside fell to top seed and nationally no. 2 Park, 3-0. 

Morningside's defense, which had been hitting a bit of a stride over the closing matches of the regular season, was less effective against the no. 2 Pirates, as the Mustangs only tallied three total blocks and 18 digs. 

Edoardo Pirazzo had a pair of block assists to lead Morningside and Natan Alves had the team's only solo block. Alves also led the defense beyond the block, with four digs, while Lucca Stoelinga followed with three. Mauro Verstraeten and Ferdinando Vinti both had two digs to follow.

On offense, it was Malu Wilcox that was able to help his hitters find holes, tallying 14 assists in the three-set match. Alves was the favorite target, striking for nine kills in 24 attempts. Mohamed Benkrid had five kills, and Verstraeten had four.

The Mustangs will await the announcement of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' Men's Volleyball National Championship qualifiers on April 21 at 11 a.m.,  in hopes that their strength of schedule and some key wins are able to land Morningside a trip to the NAIA tournament.