Courtesy of Midland Athletics
CRETE, Neb. – No. 18-ranked Midland University hit the road for its final regular-season match on Saturday, making a short trip to face Doane University. The Warriors completed a season sweep of the Tigers with a decisive straight-set victory (25-15, 25-14, 25-19) in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play.
Midland came out with focus and poise, jumping to a 7-1 lead with the first four points scored off a pair of aces by Brena Mackling and kills from Brooklynn Snyder and Jacki Apel. Doane responded with two three-point rallies to pull within two, 11-9, but that was as close as they would get for the rest of the set.
Three separate three-point runs allowed the Warriors to build a commanding 21-12 lead, closing out the set with a 25-15 win. Midland’s offense was locked in, hitting a match-high .452 with 17 kills and only three errors. Doane also had its best hitting percentage in the opening set, hitting .214 with nine kills and three errors.
In the second set, the Warriors used a quick 7-0 run to seize control early, keeping the Tigers at arm’s length throughout. The lead ballooned to 22-9 before a four-point Doane run delayed the inevitable. Midland scored three of the final four points to claim the set, 25-14.
The Warriors hit .139 in the second set while holding the Tigers to a -.105 hitting percentage. MU tallied three blocks and forced Doane into six additional errors to take a two-set lead.
Trailing in the match, the Tigers started strong in the third set, building an 8-4 lead. However, Midland countered with an 8-2 run to take control, limiting Doane to no more than two consecutive points the rest of the way. Leading 20-17, the Warriors closed out the set and match with a 5-2 run to complete the sweep.
Midland hit .122 in the final set, recording 15 kills against nine errors, while Doane had a .048 percentage with eight kills and six errors.
For the match, Brena Mackling and Stella Kuehl coordinated the Warriors’ offense to a .216 hitting percentage. Mackling had 16 assists, and Kuehl led all players with 19. Leading in kills was Jacki Apel with 13, followed by Brooklynn Snyder with nine, and Abbey Ringlerwith seven. Cameran Jansky and Lauren Jones added five kills each, contributing to Midland’s balanced attack.
Defensively, three Warriors recorded double-digit digs. Delainey Cast led the team with 14, while Delanie Vallinch and Kuehl each tallied 10. At the net, Midland had seven team blocks, with Jansky and Jones each contributing to four and Apel and Ringler to three.
“The team came out very focused in the first game—a much better start than in the CSM match,” commented head coach Paul Giesselmann. “Overall, we played a very good match on the road. We won the serve-and-pass game, played strong defense, and I thought our setters ran a good offense. We still need to clean up our hitting errors as we got a bit sloppy in the second and third sets. Wednesday is a big match, and it gives us a chance to reach 12 wins in conference.”
Midland (15-9, 11-2 GPAC) will return home for its final two matches of the season. First up will be a midweek game against Hastings (13-8, 7-5 GPAC). The Warriors and Broncos will take to the court inside the Wikert Event Center on Wednesday, October 30, in Fremont, Neb.
