Mustangs Sweep V-Hawks in Season Opener

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Mount Mercy's men's volleyball team delivered a commanding performance in their first home match of the 2025 season, sweeping the visiting Viterbo V-Hawks in three straight sets (25-18, 25-15, 25-21) at Hennessey Recreation Center on Thursday night.

The Mustangs' offensive efficiency proved too much for the V-Hawks to handle, with Mount Mercy finishing the match with a team hitting percentage of .299. Guglielmo Illotti led the charge with 12 kills on 20 swings, posting an impressive .450 hitting percentage. Matthew Krzos followed closely with seven kills on 10 attempts, hitting .500.

Mount Mercy's setter, Gustavo Bauer, was instrumental in orchestrating the offense, dishing out 27 assists while adding four digs. Gabor Toth added firepower at the net, recording nine kills and contributing defensively with eight digs.

Defensively, the Mustangs controlled the match with a total of six blocks, including a solo block by Krzos. Viterbo struggled to overcome Mount Mercy's relentless defensive pressure, hitting just .024 as a team across three sets.

The Mustangs started strong in the opening set, hitting .294 with balanced contributions from the offense. In the second set, Mount Mercy capitalized on Viterbo's errors, as the visitors recorded a negative hitting percentage (-.231). The Mustangs closed out the match in the third set with a .385 team hitting percentage, holding off a late surge from the V-Hawks.

With the victory, Mount Mercy improves to 1-0 on the season, while Viterbo falls to 0-1. The Mustangs will look to extend their winning streak as they host Trinity Christian on Friday, with first serve set for 7:00 p.m.