No. 15 Mustangs battle No. 1 Northwestern

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Despite a tough battle, the 15th-ranked Morningside University volleyball team showed resilience against top-ranked Northwestern on Wednesday at the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center, falling by set scores of 25-13, 25-19, and 25-14.

Sydney Marlow led the Mustangs (12-4, 0-2 GPAC) with eight kills, while Claire Wilson had six. Both Mustangs maintain their Top 2 spots in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in kills.

With her eight kills, Marlow has 197 on the season.

Kyla Dyrstad had a team-high 15 assists on Wednesday, while also having the Mustangs' lone service ace.

Barbora Kozouskova led Morningside with 10 digs, while Marlow, Dyrstad and Aureana Bernales collected seven apiece.

The Mustangs tied the Red Raiders (12-0, 2-0) early in the second set five different times, but Northwestern put together a 5-0 run to stave off its Sioux City foe.

During the third set, Morningside held an 8-4 lead, including a 3-0 start. The Red Raiders made two errors, while Adelyn Harris earned a kill early in the third. Emma Haren, Marlow, and Wilson also had kills in the 8-4 start. Then, Northwestern went on a 6-0 run to give it the lead, and didn't give it back.

Morningside stays home for two more matches this weekend. On Friday, the Mustangs will host (RV) Valley City State at 6 p.m., then resume GPAC play Saturday at 3 p.m. against Waldorf.