Mustangs Top Tigers, Fall to Lancers in Season Opening Doubleheader

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - Mount Mercy's women's volleyball team opened the season with a doubleheader split, defeating the Olivet Nazarene Tigers, 3-1, before falling to the Grace College Lancers, 3-1.

GAME ONE

The Mustangs opened their season on a high note, taking down the Tigers, 3-1, with set scores of 20-25, 25-20, 26-24, and 25-20.

In the opening set, the Mustangs battled point for point with the Tigers, building as much as an 18-12 lead before errors allowed Olivet Nazarene to rally and claim the opener. Despite the setback, Mount Mercy outpaced the Tigers offensively, hitting .303 with 15 kills while holding Olivet Nazarene to .094 and just seven kills.

In set two, the Mustangs controlled the tempo, racing out to a 17-10 lead on their way to a 25-20 win. Mount Mercy hit .257 with seven kills, while the Tigers managed 14 kills but were limited to a .022 hitting percentage.

Set three proved tighter, with both teams tallying 15 kills, but the Mustangs prevailed, 26-24, behind a match-high .316 hitting percentage.

Mount Mercy sealed its first win of the season with a 25-20 victory in set four.

Hallie Bedier led the Mustangs with 11 kills and a .478 hitting percentage. Mary Kate Bendlage also posted 11 kills, while Sam Schrage added seven kills with a .600 hitting percentage. Delaney Rhoden dished out 25 assists, with Maddie Marquardt adding 17. Defensively, Brooklyn Miller collected 23 digs and Brooke Ellyson chipped in 11.

Olivet Nazarene was led by Naomi Monney-Hori, who recorded a team-high 15 kills with a .179 hitting percentage. Brynn Nikonchuk followed with 12 kills, while Sabrina Sanif added 11 kills and a .579 hitting percentage.

GAME TWO

The Mustangs closed out the doubleheader with a 3-1 loss to Grace, falling by set scores of 25-16, 17-25, 18-25, and 21-25.

Mount Mercy carried its momentum into set one, taking the opener 25-16 while hitting .290 with 11 kills. The Lancers tallied 12 kills but were limited to a .075 hitting percentage.

Grace responded in set two, pulling away with 17 kills and a .213 hitting percentage while holding the Mustangs to .049 and just eight kills to even the match at 1-1.

The Lancers extended their lead with a 25-18 win in set three, hitting a match-best .319 with 19 kills. Mount Mercy improved offensively with 13 kills and a .209 hitting percentage, but could not hold off Grace's late push.

The Lancers sealed the match in set four, 25-21, hitting .205 with 13 kills while limiting the Mustangs to .071 and 11 kills.

Bendlage led the Mustangs with 15 kills and a .196 hitting percentage. Bedier followed with eight kills at .222, while Alivia Arsenault added five. Marquardt handed out 17 assists, and Rhoden added 16. Miller paced the defense with 27 digs, with Bendlage and Ellyson contributing 18 and 13, respectively.

Anna Elkin led the Lancers with 17 kills and a .224 hitting percentage, followed by Olivia Martinez with 13 kills and a .222 hitting percentage. Leah Henderson and Callie Jo Celichowski added 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Carsyn Witt directed the offense with 50 assists, while Liz Schmidt anchored the defense with 30 digs.

Mount Mercy (1-1) returns to action on Saturday, Aug. 16, with another doubleheader, facing Ave Maria at noon and Cumberland at 2 p.m.