Mustangs end tournament with win, eye conference play

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - The Mount Mercy women's volleyball team played in a competitive College of Saint Mary Labor Day Tournament. The Mustangs went 1-3 on the weekend, but battled with all four teams to prepare for Heart of American Athletic Conference play this week.

On Friday, Mount Mercy squared off against Providence (Mont.) (7-4) in which every set except the first was decided by two points, with the Mustangs losing in four (17-25, 30-28, 23-25, 24-26). Hailey Hested tallied 45 assists to six different Mustangs, led by Mackenzie Murphy with 15 and Katie Kopriva with 13. 

In the night cap on Friday, Mount Mercy played host and 12th-ranked, College of Saint Mary (Neb.) (11-1). The Mustangs couldn't get their offensive game going, as the Flames didn't allow anybody to reach double-digit kills and handed Mount Mercy their first straight-set loss (17-25, 18-25, 17-25) of the season.

For the first time in eight matches, the Mustangs were held to under a .100 attack percentage, resulting in their third consecutive loss (24-26, 22-25, 14-25) on Saturday morning against Dordt (1-6). 

After trading the first two sets with Dakota State (S.D) (6-4), the Mustangs found their groove and cruised in the final two sets (25-17, 23-25, 25-13, 25-14) to end the tournament on a high note. Jenna Brown hit .471 to finish with 11 kills and three blocks. Mount Mercy held a 19-6 block advantage getting six apiece from Madi Havermann and Kopriva. 

Rylie Mussman was a bright spot all weekend, tallying more than 15 digs in every game, including two 20 plus performances for an average of 5.64 digs per set. 

Mount Mercy (7-4) has their home and conference opener on Friday, Sept. 8 against Peru State (Neb.) (5-5). First serve is scheduled for 7:00 pm at Hennessey Rec Center. The Mustangs then host Graceland (3-5) on Saturday, Sept. 9 for a 2:00 pm start.