Mount Marty University

Lancers Earn First GPAC Win in Weekend Sioux City Road Trip

Mount Marty Volleyball wrapped up its weekend trip to Sioux City, Iowa, by bouncing back from a Friday night loss at Morningside to secure a thrilling five-set victory over Briar Cliff on Saturday for its first Great Plains Athletic Conference win of the season.

       [ FRIDAY, OCT 9 ]                      [ SATURDAY, OCT 10 ]
Morningside      3                    Mount Marty      3
Mount Marty      0                    Briar Cliff (IA) 2
(25-19, 25-15, 25-22)                 (25-16, 26-28, 21-25, 25-17, 15-13)

Match 1: Morningside 3, Mount Marty 0

(25-19, 25-15, 25-22)

The Lancers opened the weekend road trip at Morningside, battling through three frames before falling to the Mustangs in straight sets.

• Front-Row Leaders: Caitlin Guenther led Mount Marty with 9 kills, 3 block assists, and a solo block for a team-high 11.5 points. Grace Nesdahl added 7 kills on 26 attacks off the bench.

• Middle & Pin Support: Andrea Renkly was efficient in the middle, hitting .267 with 4 kills, while Jaya Wachholtz chipped in 4 kills and 3 digs.

• Setting & Defense: Brianna Even dished out 7 assists alongside 5 digs, while Sophia Even added 4 assists and 5 digs. Jenna Schweitzer led the back row with 13 digs and an ace.

• Key Match Factor: Morningside generated 39 kills on a .177 hitting percentage, powered by Victoria Bouska (13 kills, .440 hitting pct) and Sidda Hagedorn (8 kills, 25 digs).

Match 2: Mount Marty 3, Briar Cliff 2

(25-16, 26-28, 21-25, 25-17, 15-13)

Mount Marty earned its first GPAC victory in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, overcoming a 2-1 set deficit to edge out Briar Cliff in a five-set thriller at the Newman Flanagan Center.

• Balanced Offensive Surge: Four Lancers reached double figures in kills, led by Jaya Wachholtz with 14 kills(14.5 points). Annabella Suljuzovic delivered 12 kills (.182 hitting pct), Andrea Renkly posted 11 kills (.250 hitting pct) with 5 block assists, and Peyton Ostenson smashed 13 kills on a team-best .400 hitting percentage.

• Setting Tandem Double-Doubles: Both setters posted double-doubles to guide the offense. Maycee Williamsdished out 26 assists with 13 digs, while Brianna Even registered 23 assists and 17 digs.

• Net Defense: Mount Marty racked up 12.0 team blocks to slow the Chargers. Ralynn Hickman led the front-row wall with 1 solo block and 6 block assists (6.0 points), while Lexi Eickhoff added 5 block assists.

• Back-Row Lockout: Kate Tollinger led five Lancers in double-digit digs with 19 digs, followed by Brianna Even (17), Jenna Schweitzer (16), Maycee Williams (13), and Adisyn Indahl (11).

• Clutch Finish: After Briar Cliff rallied to take Sets 2 and 3, Mount Marty dominated Set 4 (25-17) and held off the Chargers 15-13 in the deciding fifth set.

Combined Weekend Leaders (Oct 9–10)