The Dordt Defender men's volleyball team was a 3-1 winner over Morningside on Friday night in Sioux City, Iowa. The win pushed Dordt to 9-1 in league play as the Defenders secured a 25-19, 25-23, 21-25, 25-19 win.
Dordt overcame a slow start in set one to push out to a 10-6 lead after an attack error and the lead was still four at 13-9 after another Morningside error. The lead ballooned to 17-11 on a
Brady Frost kill and that was enough for Dordt as they were never challenged the rest of the set in winning 25-19.
Set two featured several ties up to 11-11 and Dordt as able to score back to back points on a bad set by the Mustangs and an attack error. Dordt either led or was tied up to 19-19 but Morningside scored back to back points for a 21-19 lead. A 23-20 Morningside lead put Dordt in a corner but a service error gave Dordt a point and
Andres Guzman followed with a Defender kill. A Morningside attack error tied the set and
Caleb Kulesza gave Dordt a 24-23 lead. Dordt's
Luke Nelson gave Dordt a 25-23 win and completed the five point run to finish the set for Dordt.
Morningside got in front immediately in set three and held on Dordt battled back to tie it 15-15 but the Defenders were unable to grab the lead and lost 25-21 after getting within 22-21 at one point.
Morningside rode the momentum to a 7-2 lead in set four. Dordt rallied and took a 10-9 lead after a Morningside ball handling error. A four point run eventually followed and Guzman ended the string with a kill for a 15-11 lead. Morningside closed to within 19-18 but
Dylan Kooiman and
Caleb Kulesza teamed up for a block for a 20-18 lead. Dordt went on to score five of the final six points, including the final three on a Nelson kill and two Morningside attack errors.
COACH CHAD HANSON SAID
"We worked hard and stayed hungry in this match to execute at a higher level with our attacks and our defensive pursuit. I'm really pleased to get his match completed and continue with our road trip to Ottawa. With one remaining regular season match, we are focused on performing well."
THE NUMBERS
NEXT
Dordt will face Ottawa on Saturday, March 18 to conclude the regular season.
