Mustangs complete unblemished holiday weekend

OMAHA, Neb. — Morningside volleyball wrapped up a perfect holiday weekend with two wins Saturday at the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Tournament, defeating Bethel in four sets and sweeping Oklahoma Panhandle State.

The Mustangs (5-4) opened the day with a 25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17 victory over Bethel. Four Mustangs reached double figures in kills, led by Emma Haren and Payten Lode with 12 each. Jacey Miller followed with 11, and Adelyn Harris added 10 while hitting .588 (10-for-17).

Setter Kyla Dyrstad guided the offense with 44 of the team's 47 assists. Defensively, four players posted double-digit digs: Lode (15), Aubrey Sandbothe (13), Miller (12) and Dyrstad (10). At the net, Morningside totaled 13.0 team blocks, highlighted by Harris with 4.0, Miller with 3.0 and Haren with 2.5.

After a 17-17 tie in the opening set, the Mustangs surged ahead with five straight points, including two Lode aces, plus kills from Victoria Bouska and Miller. The Mustangs then jumped out 6-1 in set 2 thanks to two Harris kills, and in the fourth, late kills from Lode and Haren sealed the win.

Morningside began the day with a three-set sweep of Oklahoma Panhandle State, 25-17, 25-15, 25-17. The Mustangs broke open the first set with a 7-0 run keyed by two Bouska kills, then closed the second on a 12-point surge fueled by five Bouska kills and three from Miller. In the third, kills from Lode and Bouska and a Sandbothe ace closed out the match.

Bouska paced the Mustangs with 16 kills in the sweep, while Lode and Haren added 10 apiece. Dyrstad handed out 43 assists, while Sandbothe led the back row with 14 digs, followed by Dyrstad (12) and Lode (10).