Mustangs' offensive attack leads to road win

DUBUQUE, Iowa - After a slow start resulting in dropping the first set to Clarke, the Mount Mercy women's volleyball team rebounded, winning the next three sets in convincing fashion to defeat the Pride 3-1 in a Heart of America Athletic Conference clash on Friday evening at the Kehl Center. 

The Mustangs were out-hit 15-14 in the opening frame and allowed the Pride to hit .297, losing 25-20. Over the course of the match, Mount Mercy held Clarke (3-18, 2-7 Heart) to eight or fewer kills and -.031, .000, and .077 attack percentages, respectively. While, Mount Mercy's defense had more reception errors than Clarke's, their offense made up for it. 

In the second set, the Mustangs hit .346 and recorded only two errors as a team, leading to a statement win, 25-12. Katie Kopriva and Jenna Brown each had stints with back-to-back kills and led the team with three kills in the second set alone. Other than being down 1-0 in the final two sets, Mount Mercy never trailed, winning the third and fourth sets 25-18. In the final set, it was an 8-0 swing that broke the set open. Mackenzie Murphy tallied two aces and Mount Mercy picked up kills from Cassidy Boche and Kendall McNaull. That duo also accounted for a block in this span. 

Kopriva (14), Brown (12), and Murphy (11) each reached double-digit kills on the night. Kopriva was on fire, hitting .433 on only one attack error. She also grabbed 11 digs, an assist, an ace, and a block to fill up the stat sheet. Hailey Hested finished with 42 assists, 11 digs, and two kills as well. McNaull led the defensive efforts with four block assists and two solo blocks. 

Mount Mercy (13-5, 6-2 Heart) is back on their home court on Tuesday, Oct. 3 against Culver-Stockton (Mo.) (3-15, 0-8 Heart) for another Heart matchup. First serve is at 7:00 pm inside Hennessey Rec Center.