Tigers turn away Mustangs in Mitchell

MITCHELL, S.D. – It was back to the road for Morningside, as the Mustangs visited a red-hot Dakota Wesleyan to wrap up their weekend schedule.  Morningside was unable to cool off the Tigers, who were receiving votes in the most recent NAIA coaches' poll.  The swept the visiting Mustangs, 3-0, with scores of 25-9, 25-18, and 27-25.

Morningside fell behind early in set one, watching Dakota Wesleyan take an insurmountable lead in the set.  

The Mustangs fought back in the second set, doubling their kill count from set one as they improved it to 12, reducing their errors at the same time.

"After the first set, we really focused on what we can control and our side of the net," explained coach Kayla Ruff.  "Our mindset was not there in the first set, and that was not Morningside Volleyball. Instead of dwelling on it, I thought our girls responded well and fought hard, especially in the third set."

Morningside continued to improve on the day as set three saw the Morningside that Mustang fans have become accustomed to.  The Mustangs went point-for-point with the Tigers building a lead as they broke a tie at the mid-way point of the match.  Morningside continued to hold the lead late, but left the door open for DWU, which came roaring back to tie the set at 24-24, forcing it to continue beyond the normal stopping point and ultimately taking the win.

Statistically, the Mustangs were led, on offense, by Meredith Hoffman who had 10 kills and a .333 hitting percentage.  Sydney Marlow and Emerson Smith followed, each with seven kills.  Sabrina Creason tallied 23 assists in the contest.

Morningside's defense rang up six total blocks, with Hoffman leading the way with five block assists.  Smith followed with four.  

Payton Shoquist collected 17 digs across the three sets, Marlow had 10, and Bridget Smith had nine.

The Mustangs, now 8-10, and 1-4 in the GPAC, will hope to get back into the wins column on Tuesday, Sept. 21, with a non-conference match against Mount Marty.  JV's first serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. with varsity to follow at 7:30.