The Dordt University volleyball team took a two-set lead but Morningside rallied to win the final three sets and claim a 3-2 victory over the Defenders Wednesday night at Allee Gym.
Box Score (PDF)
Dordt won the opening two sets 25-15 and 25-23 before Morningside answered with a 25-20 win in the third set. The Mustangs then won the fourth set 25-18 and completed the comeback with a 15-8 victory in the fifth set.
Dordt drops to 10-5 overall and 1-2 in GPAC play. Morningside improves to 14-3 overall and 3-1 in conference matches.
The Defenders hit .140 for the match and finished with 63 kills, 61 assists, six service aces and 94 digs. Morningside had 51 kills, nine aces and 88 digs while hitting .164 as a team.
FIRST SET
Dordt controlled the opening set from the start, scoring the first three points and building an 8-3 advantage.
Morningside cut the deficit to 8-4, but the Defenders responded with a 7-1 run to take a 15-9 lead.
Shayna Van Dyken had three kills during that stretch, while Dordt also benefited from Morningside attack errors.
The Mustangs answered with six straight points to pull within 16-13, but Dordt regained control.
Chloe Huisman followed with consecutive service aces to help the Defenders move ahead 19-13.
Dordt closed the set by scoring six of the final eight points.
Haley Kuperus finished the set with a kill for a 25-15 win.
Dordt hit .355 in the opening set, recording 14 kills with just three errors on 31 attacks. Morningside hit -.053 with six kills and eight errors.
SECOND SET
Dordt again gained the early advantage, taking a 2-0 lead before Morningside pulled even at 2-2.
The teams traded points through the middle portion of the set before Dordt used a 5-0 run to take a 10-5 lead.
Scarlett Winterfeld contributed two service aces during the run, while Van Dyken added a kill.
Morningside gradually worked its way back and eventually tied the set at 20-20.
Dordt responded with a kill from Kuperus to regain the lead, followed by a Morningside setting error and a kill by
Tavyn Sichmiller that made it 23-20.
The Mustangs pulled within 23-22, but Dordt reached set point at 24-22. Morningside answered again, cutting the margin to 24-23 before
Laney Wolfswinkel finished the set with a kill from
Carlee Jackson for the 25-23 Dordt win.
Kuperus had five kills in the set, while Dordt hit .130 with 15 kills.
THIRD SET
Morningside came out of the set break with its strongest start of the night, scoring six straight points after Dordt tied the set at 1-1. The Mustangs led 7-1 before Dordt began to chip away.
The Defenders answered with a 5-1 run to make it 9-6, then continued to close the gap.
Dordt eventually tied the set at 14-14 after kills by Kuperus and a service ace from
Peyton Poppema.
Morningside regained the lead and took a 16-14 advantage before Dordt pulled within one at 17-16. The Mustangs then built their lead back to 22-18.
Dordt scored twice to get within 22-20, but Morningside closed out the set with three straight points for a 25-20 win.
Morningside hit .250 in the set, while Dordt hit .119.
FOURTH SET
Dordt opened the fourth set with three consecutive points, including back-to-back kills by
Ellie Weg.
Morningside responded with three straight to tie the score at 3-3 and eventually moved in front 5-4.
The Mustangs then used a 6-1 run to build a 10-5 advantage. Dordt answered with a three-point stretch to make it 10-8, but Morningside regained control.
Dordt pulled within 14-10 and later 16-12, but the Mustangs continued to maintain their advantage.
Morningside led 20-14 before Dordt scored three of the next five points, including kills by
Shayna Van Dyken and
Ellie Weg, to make it 22-17.
The Mustangs finished the set with three of the final four points and won 25-18, forcing a fifth set.
FIFTH SET
Dordt and Morningside traded points early, with Dordt tying the set at 2-2 on a block by
Ada Dekkers and Kuperus.
Morningside then took control with seven consecutive points to move ahead 9-2.
Dordt called timeout twice during the run and responded with three straight points to cut the deficit to 9-5. Kuperus had two kills during the stretch.
The Defenders continued to battle and pulled within 12-7 but Morningside answered with two points to reach match point at 14-7. Dordt got one more point on a Winterfeld kill, but the Mustangs finished the match 15-8 on a Dordt service error.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Kills: Dordt 63, Morningside 51
- Kill Efficiency: Dordt .140, Morningside .164
- Digs: Dordt 94, Morningside 88
- Blocks: Dordt 11, Morningside 9
- Aces: Dordt 6, Morningside 9
- Assists: Dordt 61, Morningside 51
Dordt's best attacking set came in the opener, when the Defenders hit .355 with 14 kills and three errors. Morningside's strongest offensive set was the third, hitting .250 with 15 kills and four errors.
DORDT LEADERS
Kuperus led the Defenders with 16 kills and added five block assists for 18.5 points. She hit .200 for the match.
Weg finished with 11 kills and hit .333, adding one solo block and five block assists for 14.5 points.
Van Dyken had 10 kills, while Wolfswinkel recorded nine kills and Winterfeld had eight.
Dekkers added six kills and five block assists. Sichmiller contributed three kills and two block assists.
Huisman directed Dordt's offense with 28 assists and added three service aces and seven digs.
Carlee Jackson had 24 assists and nine digs, while Winterfeld led the defensive effort with 18 digs. Wielenga added 23 digs and Beckering had 19.
NOTABLES
Dordt's 63 kills were 12 more than Morningside's 51, but the Mustangs held an edge in hitting percentage, .164 to .140.
The Defenders had their best offensive stretch in the first two sets, hitting .355 in the first and .130 in the second. Morningside improved offensively after the break, hitting .250 in the third set and .211 in the
fourth.
Dordt had four players reach double figures in kills: Kuperus (16), Weg (11), Van Dyken (10) and Wolfswinkel (9).
The match featured several extended runs. Dordt used a 7-1 run in the first set to build a 15-9 lead, then Morningside answered with a 6-0 run to get within 16-13. In the second set, Morningside erased a five-
point Dordt advantage and tied the score at 20-20. The Mustangs then used a 6-1 run in the fourth set to take control and a 7-0 run in the fifth set to establish a 9-2 advantage.
Dordt is now 1-2 in GPAC play. The Defenders entered the match following a 3-0 win over Briar Cliff on September 12, which was their first conference victory of the season.
UP NEXT
Dordt returns to action Saturday when the Defenders continue GPAC play at Waldorf in Forest City, Iowa.
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