Blocks, aces lead to Mustang sweeps

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Mount Mercy women's volleyball team snapped a three-game losing streak with back-to-back sweeps over Peru State (Neb.) on Friday, Oct. 14 and Graceland on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Hennessey Rec. Center in their final home weekend Heart of America Athletic Conference matchups. 

The Mustangs cruised to a 3-0 victory on Friday night due in large part to the 21-2 block advantage. Whenever the Bobcats scored a point, Mount Mercy made sure it was not more than three in a row getting blocks from seven different Mustangs. Katie Kopriva opened the match with a big kill and Mackenzie Murphy followed it up with an ace; the Mustangs kept control and never looked back. Mount Mercy turned a 10-3 lead to a 17-4 in a blink of an eye. Maggie Peters ended the first set at 25-12 with a kill. Peru State (6-17, 3-10 Heart) and Mount Mercy were tied 4-4, but the Mustangs capitalized on Bobcat errors and found themselves up 15-8 after Murphy's third ace of the match. Consecutive kills from Murphy and Katie Kopriva gave Mount Mercy the 25-15 set two win. The Bobcats hung around in the third set, trailing by just three at the 15-12 mark. The Mustangs closed out the set and the match on a 10-1 run for the third set win at 25-13. 

Peters finished with 10 kills, four block assists, and a solo block to lead Mount Mercy. Kendall McNaull and Izzie McKinley added three block assists and solo blocks of their own. Rylie Mussman, Murphy, and Kopriva all finished with double-digit digs; 16, 14, and 13, respectively. 

Kopriva served three aces to give Mount Mercy an early 9-4 lead in the first set on Saturday, but the Yellowjackets came back to take a 20-19 lead. The two teams traded points for the remainder of the set, with Graceland being in the driver's seat at 24-23 and 25-24, but Mount Mercy got a kill from Murphy and a Yellowjacket miscue to level the set at 25 all. Jenna Brown served an ace and gave the Mustangs the final push they needed as Peters followed it up with a kill for the 27-25 win. Graceland controlled much of the second set, leading by as many as six at 13-7. Mount Mercy kept the set close, but it was not until four consecutive kills from Murphy, Kopriva, Kopriva, and Cassidy Boche that tied it at 20-20 and forced a Graceland timeout. Again, it was a service ace from Murphy that gave Mount Mercy the lead for good as the Mustangs took the second set 25-22 in comeback fashion. Mount Mercy (17-7, 10-6) broke a 9-9 tie in the third set but rattling off the next six points capped off with another Brown ace, making it 15-10. Graceland (8-17. 3-11 Heart) stuck around, getting within three on multiple occasions, but the Mustangs always had an answer. Late match subs, Baylee Russ and Alayna Westenberg each contributed with big kills down the stretch. Westenberg's kill was the set point at 25-21 giving Mount Mercy the match win. 

The Mustangs used 14 service aces and hit .224 to hold off the feisty Yellowjackets in a must-win match. Murphy finished with six aces and eight kills. Kopriva added 10 kills and three aces of her own. Rylie Mussman led all players with 19 digs.

Mount Mercy has a week off before they travel to Springfield, Mo. for a Heart contest against Evangel (14-12, 7-6 Heart) on Friday, Oct. 21 at 6:00 pm. They will then play William Woods (Mo.) (9-14) on Saturday, Oct. 22 in non-conference action at 12:30 pm in Fulton, Mo.