Mustang
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL SATURDAY, SEPT. 11
Morningside University begins a span of playing three of its next four matches on its newly-refurbished floor inside Allee Gymnasium of the RosenVerdoorn Sports Center this afternoon. Head coach Jessica Squier’s Mustangs, standing 8-7 overall and 1-2 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, opened the week with a five-set thriller over crosstown Great Plains Athletic Conference Sept. 8. The University of Jamestown, coached by Jon Hegerle, took a spectacular run into a top 10 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics showdown with Northwestern College Friday, winning 27 straight sets en route to a 9-0 start.
THE SERIES The Jimmies have won nine of the previous 13 all-time meetings, including a run of six in a row. They won both 2020 season match-ups in straight sets.
THE MATCH-UP A quartet of front liners has guided Mside to 643 total kills to date. Freshmen outside hitters Sydney Marlow, Emerson Smith, and Claire Wilson are over 100 (Marlow – 141/Smith – 117/Wilson – 102), with sophomore middle hitter Meredith Hoffman registering 116. The service ace category has also been a strong point, with Squier’s squad producing 102 and led by senior setter Sabrina Creason (24). Sophomore defensive standout Payton Shoquist has reached national-level recognition, as her 278 digs are the third-highest among the NAIA. Creason’s service aces also merit national top 10 status, ranking No. 8. Despite playing in front of a loud road crowd Wednesday, Morningside came away with a win over Briar Cliff University in the first of two crosstown showdowns this season 27-25, 25-22, 18-25, 24-26, and 15-8. The Mustangs came out swinging in set one, figuratively and literally, as the match started with an ace serve by Creason. Mside hammered 22 kills in the extended set, collecting just one error with a .467 kill percentage. The guests on the scoreboard never lost the lead in the set. In the following three sets, the offensive efficiency waned for the visitors, opening the door for Briar Cliff’s set victories on the night, but returned when Morningside needed it most, the pivotal set five. “Our chemistry as a team was really good in set one,” remarked Squier. “The girls calmed their minds and were able to find their competitive edge again in set five. We refocused on our controllables.” Morningside continued its trend of aggressive serving, highlighted by a match-high three for Emerson Smith, one of which came as Briar Cliff was trying to mount a comeback late in set five. The Mustangs aced their opponents nine times in the match. Fellow freshman Bridget Smith took the lead in the assists game, edging out her veteran counterpart, Creason, 25-24. On the attack, the Mustangs were led by Emerson Smith, with 19. Sydney Marlow followed with 17 kills, while Hoffman, hitting at a team-high .375 percentage, followed with 16 kills of her own. The team earned 73 kills across the match, hitting .241 by the night’s end. “Having the number of options that we do on offense is an indicator of how our team chemistry is
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continued from page one building,” digested Squier. “We took big steps in the right direction as a team tonight.” The Mustang defense was co-led at the net by Emma Schall and Wilson, each collecting three block assists as part of the team’s five blocks. Shoquist led the efforts behind the block, with 17 digs. Marlow and Emerson Smith followed, with 14 and 11, respectively. Jamestown’s run to an unbeaten season has been keyed by an NAIA-leading 15.37 kills and 14.3 assists per set. The Jimmies defense has been right there, too, with 37 solo blocks standing third-best nationally. A upperclasswoman duo of Jayla Ritter and Corina Huff has been especially tough on the opposition with a combined 129 kills and 51 blocks.
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Morningside is back in action Friday, Sept. 17, stepping out of conference for a match against North Star Athletic Association foe Dakota State University.
Morningside Varsity
Jamestown University
1 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 12 14 21 22 26 27 30
1 Hannah Schiele Jr. DS Jamestown, N.D. 2 Anna Holen Jr. OH/DS LaMoure, N.D. 3 Ellie Holen Fr. DS LaMoure, N.D. 4 Abby Seifert Jr. OH Princeton, Minn. 5 Jayla Ritter Jr. MH Forest Lake, Minn. 6 Kadyn Mehring So. OH Carrington, N.D. 7 Averi Beyer So. DS Fargo, N.D. 8 Megan Gaffaney Jr. S Jamestown, N.D. 9 Darienne Johnson Fr. MH Eastpointe, Mich. 10 Corina Huff Sr. MH Pequot Lakes, Minn. 11 Taylor Sabinash Jr. MH Kensal, N.D. 13 Jackie Meiklejohn Jr. S Dickey, N.D. 14 Aleah Zieske Fr. OH Spicer, Minn. 15 Lexi Olson Fr. MH Langdon, N.D. 16 Kalli Hegerle Jr. OH West Fargo, N.D. 17 Logan Sherman Fr. OH Marshall, Minn. Head coach: Jon Hegerle Assistant coaches: Jake Fulsom, Jessica Velander, Riley Semmens
Payton Shoquist Kendall Evans Sabrina Creason Elizabeth Zobel Gillian DePauw Ryley Rolls Sydney Marlow Bridget Smith Meredith Hoffman Madison Goodwin Claire Wilson Lindi Pojar Emerson Smith Naomi Frazier Emma Schall
So. Jr. Sr. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr.
DS S S MH S OH OH S MH OH MH DS OH MH MH
Mansfield, Tex. Estherville, Iowa Shawnee Mission, Kan. Battle Creek, Iowa South Beloit, Ill. Alliance, Neb. Burlington, Iowa Omaha, Neb. Des Moines, Iowa Kingsley, Iowa Omaha, Neb. Windsor, Colo. Watertown, S.D Cedar Rapids, Iowa Broken Bow, Neb.
Head coach: Jessica Squier Assistant coaches: Kayla Ruff, Ian Leibitzke, Jacob Baynes
Morningside JV 7 9 11 13 15 16 17 18 19 23 24 25 27 28 29 31
Sophia Sansone Lauryn Bonar Agnes Garder Carly VonRentzell Grace Wiese Cassie McDermott Alena Peters Elizabeth Lienemann Samantha Phillips McKenna Greenwell Kaylee Miller Kenna Howard Naomi Frazier Payton Siebert Nienke van Drunen Hayden Stephenson
So. Fr. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr.
DS OH S RS DS S OH OH OH DS MH OH MH MH MH RS
Milan, Mich. Concordia, Mo. Halden, Norway Ashland, Neb. North Sioux City, S.D. Colorado Springs, Colo. Omaha, Neb. Omaha, Neb.Calhoun Valentine, Neb. Omaha, Neb. Forest City, Iowa Sidney, Iowa Cedar Rapids, Iowa Festus, Mo. Zwolle, Netherlands Hastings, Neb.
REMAINING SCHEDULE Sept. 17 Sept. 18 Sept. 21 Sept. 25 Sept. 26 Sept. 29 Sept. 30 Oct. 2 Oct. 6 Oct. 9 Oct. 15 Oct. 16 Oct. 18 Oct. 22 Oct. 23 Oct. 25 Oct. 30 Nov. 2 Nov. 6-13
Dakota State 5:30 p.m. JV/7 p.m. Varsity Dakota Wesleyan* 1:30 p.m. JV/3 p.m. Varsity Mount Marty* 6 p.m. JV/&:30 p.m. Varsity Jamestown* 6 p.m. JV/&:30 p.m. Varsity Valley City St. 1:30 p.m. JV/3 p.m. Varsity Briar Cliff* 6 p.m. JV/7:30 p.m. Varsity JV Tournament 5/8 p.m. Dakota Wesleyan* 3:30 p.m. JV/5 p.m. Varsity Dordt* 6 p.m. JV/7:30 p.m. Varsity Doane* 1:30 p.m. JV/3 p.m. Varsity Midland* 6 p.m. JV/7:30 p.m. Varsity Concordia* 1:30 p.m. JV/3 p.m. Varsity JV at Iowa Lakes CC 5/7 p.m. Mount Marty* 6 p.m. JV/7:30 p.m. Varsity College of St. Mary* 3:30 p.m. JV/5 p.m. Varsity JV at Briar Cliff/ILCC 3/5 p.m. Hastings* 3:30 p.m. JV/5 p.m. Varsity Northwestern* JV/7:30 p.m. Varsity 2022 GPAC Championships *Conference