Mustangs Fall Short as Wildcats Close Out in Four Sets

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Mount Mercy University women's volleyball dropped a hard-fought Heart of America Athletic Conference match to Baker University on Saturday afternoon, falling in four sets (23-25, 25-22, 18-25, 24-26). The Mustangs move to 10-5 overall and 5-3 in league play, while Baker improves to 10-4 and 4-2.

The Mustangs finished with 54 kills on a .180 hitting percentage, while Baker posted 55 kills on a .157 clip. Mount Mercy's defensive unit tallied 64 digs, led by libero Kate Wright with 21, but Baker countered with 77 digs to keep rallies alive in the four-set contest.

Mary Kate Bendlage paced Mount Mercy with 16 kills on 58 swings, adding 15 digs and four blocks for a team-high 18.5 points. Sam Schrage recorded 11 kills on a .423 attack percentage and contributed three total blocks, while Bella Dantzler added 10 kills and a team-leading five block assists. Setter Maddie Marquardt distributed 29 assists, chipped in three kills, and collected five digs.

In the opening set, Mount Mercy rallied from an early deficit to tie the score at 22-22 behind consecutive kills from Bendlage. However, Baker secured three of the final four points, capped by a kill from Kylie Murray to seal a 25-23 win.

The Mustangs responded in set two with their strongest offensive frame of the match. Bendlage powered down five kills in the set, while Schrage added three kills on six swings. Marquardt orchestrated the attack with nine assists, and Dantzler put up a crucial block to help Mount Mercy to a 25-22 victory, leveling the match at one set apiece.

Baker controlled the third set by capitalizing on Mustang attack errors. Mount Mercy hit just .114 in the frame, compared to Baker's .118. Murray and Meredith Brown combined for seven kills to lead Baker to a 25-18 result, pushing the Wildcats ahead two sets to one.

Set four featured 11 ties and five lead changes in a back-and-forth battle. Mount Mercy built a 22-21 lead after a kill by Schrage, but Baker responded with consecutive points. The Mustangs fought off one match point with a Dantzler kill to tie the score at 24-24. Baker closed out the match with a kill from Brown followed by a block on Bendlage to claim the set, 26-24, and the match, 3-1.

Overall, Mount Mercy finished with four service aces, including two from Brooke Ellyson, who also added seven digs. Hallie Bedier chipped in five kills and combined with Arsenault for three block assists.

Mount Mercy will return home for a conference match against Park on Friday, Oct. 3, with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m. at Hennessey Recreation Center.