The Dordt Defenders lost their Heart of America Athletic Conference opener on Tuesday, February 11 in Sioux Center, Iowa to Morningside 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-15, 25-17).

Box Score (PDF)
 
Dordt led early in set one 6-4 after a Lance Vermeer kill and was up 7-5 after trading a service error and an Andres Guzman kill. The Mustangs took the lead at 12-10 and never trailed again, gradually pulling away to a 25-20 win.
 
Set two continued the momentum for Morningside as the visitors built a 5-1 lead and the Defenders were still down 11-5 when a Cade Schmidt kill started a comeback that saw the Defenders grab a 14-12 lead with Schmidt punctuating the run with another kill.  It was still a 20-19 Dordt lead when Dordt scored four in a row and went on to win 25-20 on an attack error by Morningside.
 
Set three got away from the Defenders as Morningside controlled from start to finish for a 25-15 win and led 5-2 in set four.  Dordt rallied, hoping for a repeat of set two with a 12-10 lead after back to back Schmidt kills.  The teams swapped points on a service error and an Andres Guzman kill but the visitors tied the score at 14-14 got up 18-14 before the Mustang run ended and the visitors won by a 25-17 final.
 
Morningside is 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the HAAC while Dordt is 5-2 and 0-1 in league play.
 
THE NUMBERS

DORDT  41K | 32E | .075 KILL EFFICIENCY | 0 ACE | 11 BLOCKS
MORNINGSIDE | 45 K | 26E | .161 KILL EFFICIENCY | 5 ACE | 7 BLOCKS
 
Dordt Leaders
Cade Schmidt | 14k | 4d | 5ba
Andres Guzman | 11k | 8d
Joel Van Groningen | 7k
Lukas Van Groningen | 28a
Brady Fergen | 8d
 
Morningside Leaders
Natan Alves | 14k | 4ba
Kirby Schmalz | 13k | 12d
Mohamed Benkrid | 10k
Jacob DePauw | 35a
 
NEXT

Dordt will host William Penn and Grand View this Friday and Saturday, February 14 and 15.
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