SIOUX CITY, IOWA – The recent run of Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center/Allee Gymnasium magic made its presence felt again at times Wednesday, Oct. 17.

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – The recent run of Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center/Allee Gymnasium magic made its presence felt again at times Wednesday, Oct. 17.

A scrappy, never-say-die effort by head coach Beth Donnelly’s Morningside College Mustangs kept a rapt crowd inside the Maroon and White’s friendly confines on the edges of their collective seats throughout, as they battled Great Plains Athletic Conference top 10-ranked foe Midland University tooth and nail. An effective one-two punch of sophomore outside hitter Krista Zenk (Le Mars, Iowa) and junior middle hitter Emma Gerber (Worthington, Minn.) kept the Warriors on their heels to the tune of a combined 37 kills and 10 blocks.

At night’s end though, despite a wild and woolly 31-29 second set win that captivated the home fans, Midland managed to head back to central Nebraska with a four-set decision. “I like this team,” Donnelly said. “We don’t graduate anyone, so I’m excited about the future.”

“The last set is sort of what has been a struggle for us,” she added. “Our achilles’ heel has been playing ahead. We were up 22-17 with a chance to force a fifth set and got complacent. (That situation) can happen though. We’ll learn from it and continue to work on that area.”

Zenk’s 22 kills, marking the second time in the last five matches she’s hit the 20-or-above mark, topped the offense. Garber was next with 15. The duo each repelled five Midland offensive attempts, while junior middle blocker Brittni Olson (Sioux City, Iowa) finished with six blocks. The net wasn’t the only spot where the Mustangs’ defense shone, as sophomore defensive specialists Merren Van Velzen (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa) and Ashley Boer (Rock Rapids, Iowa) tallied 16 and 15 digs, respectively.

Morningside, slipping to 12-10 overall and 6-6 in the GPAC, still has plenty to focus on as the 2018 regular season winds down, beginning with a Saturday evening tilt at Doane that starts at 5 p.m. Oct. 20.

“We’re still aiming at a conference tourney berth and beyond,” Donnelly noted. “The need to go at least .500 down the stretch is important. It’s a good place to be in though … being able to control your own destiny.”