Mustang Friday
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL THURSDAY-FRIDAY FEB. 17-18
Starting a span of playing six of its next eight matches at Allee Gymnasium of the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center, Morningside University’s 2022 Great Plains Athletic Conference schedule continues Thursday and Friday, Feb. 17 and 18. Head coach Addison Mertler’s Mustangs enter a six-match, three-day weekend with a 2-10 overall and 0-3 league record. First-year head coach Kate Madsen’s Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes are 1-9 overall and 1-3 in the conference having snapped a nine-match skid to begin the season with a victory over Central Christian College Feb. 8. CCC’s Tigers, coached by Rick Hughes, took an 0-11 overall and 0-2 conference mark into a match at Ottawa University Thursday. It’s the first meeting for Mside against either Kansas Wesleyan or Central Christian College.
THE MATCH-UP Mertler’s crew narrowly missed a key road victory at Dordt on Feb. 10, falling in five sets as part of a two-match road trip. Two days later, they gave the University of Jamestown, ranked No. 6 on the latest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics coaches poll, a battle in set one, falling 25-22, despite a 3-0 defeat. In North Dakota, the Mustangs’ offense generated 34 kills in the three sets, led by freshman outside hitter Isaiah and sophomore outside hitter Jacob Baynes, with 14 and 11, respectively. Freshman outside hitter Dylan Hamil had six kills and an error in 10 attempts for a game-leading .500 attack percentage. Freshman setter Jacob DePauw collected 29 assists in the match, bringing his season total to 384. DePauw tallied 50 assists in the match. At Sioux Center, Morningside’s efforts were championed by Isaiah Baynes, with 23 kills, and freshman middle hitter Erik Krenz, with 14. Mside remains among the nation’s best in front row attempts. Their 1,248 total attack tries are ninth-best. Individually, freshman libero Owen Anderson is among the first 20 in digs (104 – No. 17); Isaiah Baynes is among the best 10 in kills (173 – No. 6) and kills per set (4.33 – No. 6); and DePauw has high-rent residence in assists (384 – No. 6). Kansas Wesleyan has been topped by sophomore outside hitter Victor Loya and the freshman outside hitting duo of Christopher Perez and Viet Nguyen. Loya has 62 kills, followed closely by Perez (56) and Nguyen (42). Loya is also the team’s block leader (24). In its last outing before the in-state clash against Ottawa this week, CCC sophomore outside hitter Kolby Campbell drilled six kills thanks mainly to a share of sophomore setter Chris Santana’s 13 assists in a three-set loss to Kansas Wesleyan Feb. 8. Campbell was also strong defensively with ten digs. Morningside is back on the road for a trip to Viterbo College and a doublematch day Saturday, Feb. 19. They face Lincoln College of Illinois at 1:30 p.m. and the host V-Hawks at 4 p.m. at R.W. Beggs, Sr., Gymnasium on VC’s campus in LaCrosse, Wis. Mertler’s Mustangs return home for another Thursday-Friday session Feb. 24 and 25 against Dordt University and St. Ambrose University.