Mustang
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 7 Morningside continues its Great Plains Athletic Conference schedule as it welcomes the Chargers of Briar Cliff University to Allee Gym. The Mustangs look to take the successes that they found during the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic, and convert them into the team’s first GPAC win of the season.
THE SERIES The Morningside-Briar Cliff rivalry has been largely even, with the Mustangs going 6-4 in the last 10 meetings, four of which were decided by a 3-2 verdict. The Chargers won the last meeting, late in September of last year in Allee Gym, with Morningside taking the prior match at the NewmanFlanagan Center.
THE MATCH-UP Morningside comes into the contest 3-9, having lost its last game against no. 9 Viterbo, 3-1. Briar Cliff is 4-3, riding a three-game winning streak, and going 3-2 over its last five games. Among common opponents, Briar Cliff holds a small advantage, defeating Mayville State 3-2 and taking the University of Saint Mary to five sets. Morningside’s schedule has featured three ranked opponents, giving it exposure to higher intensity games early in the season. Leaders for the Mustangs include Sydney Marlow, who has 189 kills and has been averaging 4.2 kills per set this season. Marlow ranks third in the nation with kills and no. 11 in kills per set. Defensively, Bridget Smith leads the Mustangs in digs, with a total of 153 and an average of 3.4 per set. Payton Shoquist follows with 126 digs and an average of 2.8 per set. Notably, Aureana Bernales, who donned the libero jersey for the College of Saint Mary tournament, recorded 105 digs over Morningside’s last four matches, averaging 6.18 digs per set. Briar Cliff’s offense is led by Chloe Johnson, who has 89 kills and averages 3.07 kills per set. The Charger defense follows Abbey Jones, who has 112 digs, and Sami Wasmund, who leads the team with 18 blocks this season.