Mustang
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL SATURDAY, SEPT. 11
Morningside University begins a span of playing three of its next four matches on its newly-refurbished floor inside Allee Gymnasium of the RosenVerdoorn Sports Center this afternoon. Head coach Jessica Squier’s Mustangs, standing 8-7 overall and 1-2 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, opened the week with a five-set thriller over crosstown Great Plains Athletic Conference Sept. 8. The University of Jamestown, coached by Jon Hegerle, took a spectacular run into a top 10 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics showdown with Northwestern College Friday, winning 27 straight sets en route to a 9-0 start.
THE SERIES The Jimmies have won nine of the previous 13 all-time meetings, including a run of six in a row. They won both 2020 season match-ups in straight sets.
THE MATCH-UP A quartet of front liners has guided Mside to 643 total kills to date. Freshmen outside hitters Sydney Marlow, Emerson Smith, and Claire Wilson are over 100 (Marlow – 141/Smith – 117/Wilson – 102), with sophomore middle hitter Meredith Hoffman registering 116. The service ace category has also been a strong point, with Squier’s squad producing 102 and led by senior setter Sabrina Creason (24). Sophomore defensive standout Payton Shoquist has reached national-level recognition, as her 278 digs are the third-highest among the NAIA. Creason’s service aces also merit national top 10 status, ranking No. 8. Despite playing in front of a loud road crowd Wednesday, Morningside came away with a win over Briar Cliff University in the first of two crosstown showdowns this season 27-25, 25-22, 18-25, 24-26, and 15-8. The Mustangs came out swinging in set one, figuratively and literally, as the match started with an ace serve by Creason. Mside hammered 22 kills in the extended set, collecting just one error with a .467 kill percentage. The guests on the scoreboard never lost the lead in the set. In the following three sets, the offensive efficiency waned for the visitors, opening the door for Briar Cliff’s set victories on the night, but returned when Morningside needed it most, the pivotal set five. “Our chemistry as a team was really good in set one,” remarked Squier. “The girls calmed their minds and were able to find their competitive edge again in set five. We refocused on our controllables.” Morningside continued its trend of aggressive serving, highlighted by a match-high three for Emerson Smith, one of which came as Briar Cliff was trying to mount a comeback late in set five. The Mustangs aced their opponents nine times in the match. Fellow freshman Bridget Smith took the lead in the assists game, edging out her veteran counterpart, Creason, 25-24. On the attack, the Mustangs were led by Emerson Smith, with 19. Sydney Marlow followed with 17 kills, while Hoffman, hitting at a team-high .375 percentage, followed with 16 kills of her own. The team earned 73 kills across the match, hitting .241 by the night’s end. “Having the number of options that we do on offense is an indicator of how our team chemistry is
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