Mustangs victorious in GPAC, home opener

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – Wednesday, Sept. 9 was not an ordinary evening in the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center, it was the home opener for the 2020 women's volleyball season and the first of the season's two matches between Morningside and crosstown rival, Briar Cliff. The Mustangs came out on top in today's match, taking a 3-1 victory with scores of 20-25, 25-21, 25-12, and 25-19.

The Chargers got on the board first, staying out in front of the Mustangs beyond the six point mark in set one. While Morningside stayed close, the visitors stretched out to a five point margin to end the match.

"That's a very, very good Briar Cliff team," reflected Mustang head coach Jessica Squier after the match. She continued, "They were in rhythm, they have some great ball control, they have some great attackers. They put some balls down without us even touching them. You have to tip your hats to them, because they did a great job against us."

In set two, the roles were reversed, though Morningside didn't pull ahead for good until it scored to break a 17-17 tie.

Sets three and four saw a Morningside team that had a different energy, with dramatic results on the scoreboard.

"It was almost to the point that they were overly wanting it. When that happens, you're way too tense, way too focused, and almost robotic," explained Squier. "You need to be playing loose. You need to trust that the work you've done in practice is going to translate onto the court, and that's exactly what happened in sets 2, 3, and 4."

The Mustangs hit .216 in the match, recording 56 kills in 171 attempts off of 52 assists. The team totaled 92 digs, and just 3 reception errors in 72 attempts.

Individually, Krista Zenk (SR/Le Mars, Iowa) led Morningside, and all hitters, at the net, terminating 16 points. Caitlin Makovicka (SR/Ceresco, Neb.) and Kaelyn Giefer (JR/Loveland, Colo.) each collected 13 kills. Makovicka's .393 kill percentage led all hitters. Sabrina Creason (JR/Shawnee Mission, Kan.) added 47 assists to her career total in the match.

"It's awesome to have an offense that is so versatile with people that we can rely on to generate chaos for the other side," explained Zenk. "We can have so many more opportunities if we have multiple people putting up big numbers."

In the back row, Kayla Harris (JR/Dakota City, Neb.) collected 33 digs, chased by Ashley Boer (SR/Rock Rapids, Iowa) with 17, Zenk, with 15, and Payton Shoquist (FR/Mansfield, Tex.), with 14.

Harris, who was four digs shy of tying the four-set record she secured last year, was quick to credit her teammates in the back row.

"When the back row is in system and we're all on the same page, we do good things."

The Mustangs, now 1-2 and 1-0 in the GPAC, continue with their conference schedule, traveling to Dordt University on Saturday, for a 12:30 p.m. contest, following the JV match at 11:00 a.m.