Hested eclipses 1,000 career assists as Mustangs prevail in five

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Hailey Hested tallied her 1,000th career assist as the Mount Mercy women's volleyball team was victorious over Culver-Stockton (Mo.) in a marathon two hour and thirty-eight minute, 3-2 (28-30, 25-18, 18-25, 25-15, 15-12) five-set Heart of America Athletic Conference match, at Hennessey Rec Center. 

The Mustangs jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, getting three aces from Mackenzie Murphy, but the Wildcats slowly crawled back, evening the set at 13-13. Neither team created any separation and it stayed within three points the rest of the way. Mount Mercy trailed 24-22 and faced three set points, but back-to-back-to-back kills from Murphy, Katie Kopriva, and Cassidy Boche gave the Mustangs the lead, 25-24. The two teams traded points until consecutive Mustang errors, gave the Wildcats the set one win. 

Mount Mercy struck first again and controlled the momentum during set two. A Kendall McNaull kill gave the Mustangs their largest lead of eight at 13-5. Maggie Peters paced the Mustangs with five kills, leveling the match at one set apiece. 

Culver-Stockton (4-2, 0-1 Heart) had their best offensive performance in the third set, totaling 15 kills and hitting .244, while holding Mount Mercy to a match-low hitting percentage on just eight kills. Despite the offensive woes, the Mustangs kept it close until the 20-18 mark when the Wildcats rattled off the final five points to take the set and match lead, 2-1.

With their backs against the wall and the boisterous crowd pushing them forward, the Mustangs flipped the script in the fourth set. Mount Mercy capitalized on Culver-Stockton miscues and turned an 8-8 tie into a 25-15 advantage, forcing a decisive fifth set.

Mount Mercy applied the pressure right away after kills from Murphy, Jenna Brown, and Boche for the 7-3 lead, causing a Culver-Stockton timeout. The Wildcats cut the deficit in half, but Kopriva and Murphy had the answers, extending the lead back to four, 11-7. Culver-Stockton had one final push and got within two at 14-12, but Mount Mercy went to Peters for her 18th kill of the night to complete the come from behind win. 

Murphy totaled 10 kills for her eighth double-digit performance of the season. Kopriva added nine and Boche and Brown finished with five. Rylie Mussman led all players with 34 digs and zero reception errors. 

In her freshman season, Hested collected Heart of America Athletic Conference Co-Freshman of the Year and third-team all-Heart honors. She continues to shine in her sophomore campaign, receiving the first Heart of America Athletic Conference Setter of the Week award of the year. Only nine matches in and with 48 assists tonight, she became just the 14th player in school history to achieve the 1,000 assist feat. She also finished with 14 digs, two aces, a kill, and a block assist. 

Mount Mercy (8-1, 1-0 Heart) has a week off before they are back on the road for two Heart of America Conference matches; one on Friday, Sept. 9 against Baker (Kan.) (2-6. 0-0 Heart) at 7:00 pm followed by one on Saturday, Sept. 10 against Benedictine (Kan.) (4-2, 0-0 Heart) at 11:00 am.