Kansas City, Kansas City Here We Come: 2020-21 season opens

Morningside College, ranked No. 24 on the preseason National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics poll, faces off against MidAmerica Nazarene Friday, Nov. 6, and Benedictine College, both of Kansas, Saturday, Nov. 7, to start their 2020-21 season.

Game times are 6 p.m. Friday at MidAmerica Nazarene's Bell Family Arena in Olathe, Ks., and 5 p.m. Saturday at BC's Haverty Center in Atchison, Ks. Live video is available for both games through links at www.msidemustangs.com, the Internet home of Morningside College athletics.

* "I love what we've accomplished and how energetic this team is," head coach Jamie Sale said of the preseason aspect. "We're really motivated and have been practicing hard to prepare ourselves for the season. It'll be good to get these first games under our belts and see where we are at before the Great Plains Athletic Conference slate begins."

* Sale pointed to a strong senior class as important to the team's make-up. "This group understands where we want the program to be," he said. "They've been doing a great job putting in the hard work --- doing things on their own outside of practices and so on --- serving as examples for the younger players on how things should be done. I think the biggest key is that they know how important it is to take things one day at a time --- working out the details --- with the situation we find ourselves in pandemic-wise. One day is never the same as the next." The guard quartet of Sierra Mitchell (SR/Pleasant Hill, Iowa) (Pleasant Hill, Iowa), Tayte Hansen (SR/York, Neb.) (York, Neb.), and Faith and Grace Meyer (SR/Pomeroy, Iowa) (Pomeroy, Iowa) have helped guide the Mustangs to three successive NAIA tournament berths as part of a 64-35 record.

* Mside was picked third on the conference coaches poll. The Maroon earned 108 ranking points and one first-place vote, trailing only preseason favorite Dordt University and four-time defending champion Concordia University.

* The Mustangs remain on the road Wednesday, Nov. 11. They join the men for a trip north to the University of Jamestown in GPAC doubleheader action.

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