Mustangs drop five-set heartbreaker to Vikings

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa- The Mount Mercy women's volleyball team came up short against Grand View in a Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup at Hennessey Rec Center earlier tonight. The Mustangs fell in five sets, 25-15, 25-22, 11-25, 15-25, and 13-15. 

Mount Mercy was looking to avenge a weekend loss and start a new win-streak and they started off on the right foot, taking a commanding 2-0 set lead. The Vikings took an early lead and it wasn't until 11-11 the momentum favored The Mustangs. Mount Mercy allowed just four points the rest of the set and cruised to the win. In the second set, Izzie McKinley served Mount Mercy to a 7-1 lead, getting two kills a piece from Katie Kopriva and Maggie Peters. Grand View got within one at 18-17 but Kopriva answered with a kill and Peters followed suit right after helping Mount Mercy close out set two with a win. 

In the third set, the Vikings flipped the script and showed the Mustangs they were here to play. Grand View led by as many as 13 as Mount Mercy could not get any rhythm going on the offensive or defensive side of things. The fourth set was even at five all, but the Vikings controlled the remainder of the set, hitting an outstanding .533 on 17 kills and only one error forcing a definitive fifth set. 

Grand View (4-9, 3-2 Heart) jumped out to an 8-2 at the halfway point of the race to 15. Mount Mercy called a timeout when the teams swaped sides to regroup and bare down. Mackenzie Murphy drilled a kill to break Grand View's run. Mount Mercy struggled to serve all night but with the match on the line, they turned to Peters, even though she's not a regular server. Peters stepped up to the challenge, tallied an ace and served the duration of Mount Mercy's seven point swing for the 9-9 tie. The two teams traded points the rest of the way. At 13-13, Grand View got a kill from Taylor Carey, who finished with a match-high 21, followed by a Mount Mercy attack error to stun the Mustangs.

Murphy totaled 20 kills- just one shy of her career best. She also set a new career-high for most digs in a match at 29. Hailey Hested finished with 43 assists, ten of those going to both Kopriva and Peters. 

Mount Mercy (9-3, 2-2 Heart) is back on the road this weekend for two more conference contests. First, they travel Lamoni, Iowa to play Graceland (5-9, 0-3 Heart) on Friday, Sept. 16 for a 7:00 pm start before heading to Peru State (4-7, 1-1 Heart) for a 9:30 am match on Saturday, Sept. 17 in Peru, Neb.