[Men's Volleyball] Mustangs Dominate in Two Conference Wins

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Mustangs wrapped up their season at home with two Heart of America Conference wins this weekend. After a defeat of the Vikings of Missouri Valley College Friday night, the Mustangs carried momentum into Saturday to dominate the Yellowjackets of Graceland University in a similar fashion. In the most recent NAIA Coaches' Top 10 Poll, the Mustangs remained at the nine spot. Overall, the Mustangs hold a 15-6 record on the season and a 7-1 conference record.

In the 4-1 (25-21, 25-14, 23-25, 25-17) win over the Vikings. The Mustangs used the home court advantage to lead for a majority of each set. The Mustangs were unable to close the door in the third allowing the Vikings to snag one set and avoid the sweep. The Mustangs tallied 27 more kills than the Vikings and hit .293 compared to their opponent's .090 hitting percentage. In the match, the Mustangs totaled 57 kills, 51 assists, 43 digs, four service aces, and six blocks. Individual leaders were Evan Gaskill (SO/Cedar Rapids, Iowa) with a career-high 15 kills hitting .433 followed by Nikola Stoimenov (JR/Pazardzhik, Bulgaria) with 14 hitting .429 and Ben Steffen (SO/Madison, Wis.) with 11 and a .529 hitting percentage. Andrew Colantone (SO/Plainfield, Ill.) dished out 45 assists. Leading the defense was Mitchell Wannahwilai (FR/Rockford, Ill.) with 12 digs and Gaskill added eight. At the net, Steffen had one solo block and two block assists, while Strahil Svilenski (JR/Sofia, Bulgaria) added three block assists.

In a similar fashion the next day, the Mustangs would take care of business in a 4-1 (25-19, 25-23, 21-25, 25-15) win over the Yellowjackets. The Mustangs battled a determined team of Yellowjackets totaling two more kills than the Mustangs. However, the Mustangs committed 15 less errors and had a .218 hitting percentage compared to the visitor's .101 hitting percentage. In the match, the Mustangs totaled 42 kills, 40 assists, 47 digs, six service aces, and 19 blocks, which is a new team record in the program's three years of existence. Individual leaders were Julian Armendano (FR/La Plata, Argentina) with 11 kills and Stoimenov with 10 kills and a .444 hitting percentage. Colantone handed out 34 assists. Mitchel Wannahwilai led the defense with a tie for his career-high 17 digs followed close behind by Gaskill with a career-high 16. Leading the blocking force was Svilenski with three solo blocks and five block assists, Steffen with two solo blocks and five block assists, and Colantone with one solo block and four block assists.

Up next, the Mustangs will travel for a Heart of America Conference matchup against Culver-Stockton College on Thursday, March 14 at 7:00 P.M.