Morningside 'revels' in win over No. 22 Grand View

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — After playing a disappointing first set Friday night, Morningside women's volleyball head coach Jessica Squier knew something had to change.

So she flipped her outside hitters to opposite sides of the net and switched the team into a rotational defense, and from that point on, the Mustangs took control.

Morningside (14-10) earned a non-conference home win over No. 22-ranked Grand View (24-3) in four sets, 17-25, 25-20, 33-31, 25-20, inside Allee Gym.

"I hope the girls can revel in this win," Squier said. "This is a huge confidence win. I hope the girls can feel like they deserved it. They've been working hard, and they just need to realize how good they are."

After dropping the first set, the Mustangs bounced back by hitting .312 in the second. They closed the frame by scoring four of the final five points, with kills from Payten Lode and Adelyn Harris highlighting the stretch.

Grand View led by as many as six points late in the third set, but Morningside stormed back with a five-point run that included two kills each from Kyla Dyrstad and Malia Fichtl. Later, a Victoria Bouska kill put the Mustangs ahead 23-22, and after an extended back-and-forth, Dyrstad's attack at 32-31 set up a Vikings error to clinch the set, 33-31.

In the fourth, Morningside used a five-point surge midway through the set to pull ahead for good. Senior Adelyn Harris sealed the upset with a kill to close out the match.

Fichtl led the Mustangs with 16 kills, followed by Emma Haren with 12 and Jacey Miller with 11. Both Haren and Miller recorded double-doubles with 14 and 13 digs, respectively.

Setter Dyrstad handed out a team-high 50 assists, while Harris and Bouska dominated at the net with a combined 14.0 total blocks — including five solo from Bouska.

"We came in strong and we really played well," Miller said. "We knew what we could do, and we came through."