Mustangs fall in four sets to Ottawa

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – A four-set thriller escaped the grasp of Morningside as Ottawa visited Allee Gymnasium, handing the Mustangs a 25-18, 23-25, 25-15, and 25-17 loss in men's volleyball action.  

A slow start for the Mustangs gave Ottawa's Braves the necessary advantage to claim victory in set one, but resilient Morningside fought back into the set, stopping the bleeding before the set got out of hand.

The Mustangs came back from a 15-13 deficit in set two, breaking away from a 23-23 tie to secure the set win and force at least four sets before either team would be able to claim victory.

Morningside started set three well, but hit a wall at 7-7 as the Braves broke the tie with a 10 point run, punctuated by Morningside's pair of time outs.  The Mustangs pushed through seven of the next 10 points, closing the gap before the visitors claimed five of the final six on the way to claiming the set.

Set four saw Morningside correct its trajectory from set three, going point-for-point with Ottawa early, and hanging close to the guests, trailing by four, 21-17, before the Braves took the final four to close out the match.

The Mustangs tallied 38 kills in the four set match off of 37 assists, headlined by Jacob Baynes with 13, Isaiah Baynes, with nine, and Erik Krenz, with eight.  Jacob DePauw recorded 32 assists in the match, also recording the team's three service aces.

Morningside's defense recorded 37 digs and seven blocks, led by Owen Anderson with 13 digs.  Isaiah Baynes and Lucas Begliomini followed with six each.  DePauw had four blocks, with Krenz and Tharen Cox following with three each.

Morningside is back in action tomorrow, playing St. Ambrose at 7 p.m. in Allee.