Mustangs reach .500 record following tough losses

BELLEVUE, NEB. – Day two of the GoSarpy.com Labor day Classic didn't start how Morningside would've liked, falling to Mayville State, 3-2, with scores of 25-20, 23-25, 25-28, 19-25, and 15-8.  The Mustangs fell to the .500 mark for the first time this season, following a loss to McPherson 3-1, with sets of 24-26, 25-17, 25-20, and 25-23.

Claire Wilson took her turn at the helm, leading the Morningside offense with 15 kills in the five-set showdown.  Emerson Smith and Sydney Marlow were hot on her tail with 14 each, with Meredith Hoffman matching the number on her back, with 12 kills in the match.  Wilson hit at a .323 percentage, with five errors in 31 attempts.

Setters Sabrina Creason and Bridget Smith recorded nearly matching numbers, dishing 31 and 28 assists, respectively.  The veteran also uncovered two of the Mustangs' three service aces against the Comets.  

The defensive machine was humming for the Mustangs, with nine blocks for the team.  Hoffman had two of the team's three solo blocks, also collecting three block assists.  Wilson and Marlow also had three assists, with Wilson knocking down the remaining solo block.

Behind the net, it was Payton Shoquist, the sophomore from Mansfield, Tex., leading the defense in the alternate jersey with 34 digs.  Junior Ryley Rolls, and freshman Bridget Smith were top diggers among the rest of the squad, each with 13.

Smith topped the diggers in the Mustangs' final match at Bellevue, reaching 14 in the four sets against McPherson.  Shoquist, Emerson Smith, and Marlow each had 13.  Gillian DePauw led the defense at the net, with a solo block and three block assists.  Wilson had four block assists, and Rolls and Hoffman each took three block assists.

Morningside's offense, again fed by 23 assists for Creason and 18 for Smith, had 49 kills in the match, with the pair of freshmen, Marlow and Emerson Smith, leading the pack with 11 each.  Hoffman had 10 in the four sets.  

Morningside, now finished with regular season tournament play, returns to Sioux City for a trio of games, starting with a trip to Briar Cliff University to play the cross-town rival Chargers on Sept. 8.  JV is scheduled for a 6:00 start with varsity to follow at approximately 7:30.