Mustangs Fall to Pirates in Straight Sets to Close Out Season

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The ninth-seeded Mount Mercy men's volleyball team saw its season come to an end Wednesday night after falling in straight sets to No. 8 seed Park (Mo.) in pool play at the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship. The Pirates won by set scores of 25-23, 26-24, 25-23 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.

In the opening set, the Mustangs jumped out to a 10-5 lead, but a seven-point run by the Pirates shifted momentum. The set remained tight, with both teams trading points, before the Pirates edged the Mustangs, 25-23. Both teams hit .241 in the frame, with the Mustangs tallying 13 kills and the Pirates finishing with 12.

Set two followed a similar script, as the Pirates claimed a 2-0 match lead with a 26-24 win. The Pirates posted a .243 hitting percentage with 16 kills, while the Mustangs recorded their highest efficiency of the match, hitting .290 with 14 kills.

In the third set, the Pirates closed out the sweep with a 25-23 victory. The Pirates registered a match-best .361 hitting percentage with 17 kills. The Mustangs notched 16 kills on a .278 clip but could not extend the match.

Guglielmo Illotti led the Mustangs with 25 kills and a .463 hitting percentage, moving into the top 10 on the program's all-time kills list. Pere Font Torres added 11 kills on .625 hitting and recorded six digs. Gustavo Kehl Bauer paced the offense with 32 assists and led the team defensively with 10 digs. Douglas Fofano contributed nine digs.

The Pirates were led by Adrian Figueroa, who recorded 24 kills on a .476 hitting percentage, along with five digs and four blocks. Nicolas Tenius added nine kills while hitting .273 and posted four blocks. Jovan Nikolic ran the offense with 38 assists, and Alessandro Gozzi tallied eight digs.