The Mustangs Close Out the Regular Season on Senior Night with a Win Over the Pride

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa | The Mount Mercy women's volleyball team closed out their regular season after a dominating win on senior night over the Clarke Pride 3-1, with set scores of 20-25, 25-22, 25-4, and 25-13. 

Opening the match, the Mustangs were off to a slow start, only recording ten kills and had a .034 hitting percentage at the end of set one. In set two, however, the Mustangs would prove that they would not go down without a fight as they were able to string together 17 team kills with a .289 hitting percentage to tie the match 1-1. At the start of set three, the Mustangs carried over their momentum from the last set as Brooke Ellyson would go for 16 straight serves, effectively holding the Pride at four points. The Mustangs ended set three with seven service aces, with Ellyson collecting six of them, nine kills, and a .375 hitting percentage. Set four would soon go to the Mustangs behind 14 team kills and a .333 hitting percentage, sealing a 3-1 win. 

Mary Kate Bendlage was the leading attacker for the Mustangs with 21 kills and a .236 hitting percentage, as well as collecting 12 digs and two blocks. Ellie Gerdes also had a great match as she recorded six kills out of 11 attack attempts for a .545 hitting percentage, followed closely by Halie Bedier, who collected three kills off of four attempts for a .750 hitting percentage. Hailey Hested ended the match with 45 assists and 13 digs, with Rylie Mussman adding 29 digs. Collectively, the Mustangs ended the match with 50 kills, a .216 hitting percentage, and 11 service aces.

Maya Watters was a key player for the Pride after recording 14 kills with a .312 hitting percentage, followed closely by teammate Rachel Haubert with 12 kills and a .093 hitting percentage. 

The Mustangs will be the sixth seed in the Heart of America Conference tournament and will travel to face the number three seed Park Pirates on Saturday, November 9th, with a 5:30 PM start time.