Mside collects second victory

BETTENDORF, IOWA – Morningside College secured their second win of the season Friday, March 12, this time in straight sets, while going 1-1 in a men's volleyball triangular hosted by Saint Ambrose University. Morningside first defeated Lincoln College, 25-18, 25-10, and 25-15, before dropping a 3-0 match against host Saint Ambrose.

It was the day's opening match that saw Morningside tally a dozen service aces, with zero receiving errors, taking pressure off the Mustangs' defense and powering the team to a .500 record at the time.

"Serving has been a big emphasis for us during practice the last week, and I am glad that it carried over," explained head coach Theison Anderson. It gives confidence to our offense when we are serving aggressively."

The Mustangs' offense was championed by Kahakai Kahoiwai (SO/Wahiana, HI), tallying 21 kills across both matches and hitting .455 against Saint Ambrose, and Tyler Godown (JR/Las Vegas, Nev.), recording 12 kills and hitting .385 against Lincoln. Kyle Cox (SR/Mancos, Colo.) dished 36 assists across the pair of matches, averaging nine per set.

"Kahakai and Tyler came to play today," stated Anderson. "They knew the team was relying on them to create offense, and they stepped up big."

Morningside is back in action on Thursday, March 18, with a 7 p.m. contest at Dordt University before heading to Jamestown for matches March 19 and 20.

"We are going to celebrate the win," reflected Anderson, "But we'll return to practice next week with the intention of setting ourselves up for success against Dordt and Jamestown."