Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Back on their home court, No. 17 Midland University hosted Mount Marty University in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play Wednesday night. The Warriors dropped the first two sets before rallying to win the final three for a reverse sweep (21-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-13, 15-12).
After holding a slim lead early in the opening set, Midland saw Mount Marty take control with a run that put the Lancers up 10-6. The visitors maintained their advantage the rest of the way, holding off the Warriors for a 25-21 win.
Things looked promising for Midland to start the second set as the Warriors scored the first four points and built a 9-5 lead. After a timeout, the Lancers flipped the momentum with a 10-point run. Midland clawed back to tie the set at 17-17, but Mount Marty pulled away late for a 25-22 win to go up 2-0 in the match.
Facing a sweep against an unranked opponent, Midland fought back in the third. After trailing 6-3, the Warriors chipped away to tie it at 11-11. Another Lancer surge pushed the score to 15-11, tightening the pressure inside the Wikert Event Center. Midland held its composure, pulling even at 23-23 and eventually sealing the set 26-24 on a kill by Avery Couch.
The Warriors hit .300 in the third set, with four players tallying multiple kills. Brooklynn Snyder and Couch each had four, while Lauren Jones and Abree Plueger added three apiece.
The fourth set was all Midland. The Warriors opened with five straight points, forcing a Mount Marty timeout, and extended their lead to 20-7. The Lancers answered with a brief 6-1 run, but Midland closed strong with a four-point spurt to win 25-13 and force a deciding fifth set.
With momentum on their side, the Warriors turned an early deficit into an 8-5 lead at the side switch. Mount Marty called a timeout but could not generate a sustained run, as Midland’s steady passing and attack limited opportunities. Snyder delivered back-to-back kills to secure the 15-12 win, finishing the fifth set with six kills and two aces.
“I loved our resilience and ability to battle back,” head coach Micah Rhodes said. “We’ve shown that throughout the season, which is a testament to our preseason schedule. It really prepares us for moments like these. When things aren’t going our way, we feel confident that we can continue to battle because we’ve been in those moments.
“At the end of the day, a win is a win. Any conference win is a good win, and I’ll give Mount Marty credit—they were physical, they were scrappy, and they wanted to win.”
For the match, Midland hit .248 compared to Mount Marty’s .238. Snyder led all players with a career-high 23 kills. Plueger added 14, while Couch and Jones each finished with nine.
Setting duties were led by Brena Mackling, who dished out a career-high 41 assists. Jaysa Wentzlaff came on late and added eight, while Lily Bolden contributed four in her serving rotations.
Defensively, the Warriors tallied eight total blocks, paced by Cameran Jansky with four assists and one solo. In the back row, Delainey Cast recorded a team-high 20 digs, followed by Claire Johnson with nine and Mackling with eight.
Midland (7-5, 2-0 GPAC) will look to extend its winning streak following an off weekend. The Warriors travel to face No. 2 Concordia (9-1, 2-0 GPAC) on Wednesday, Sept. 17. First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. in Seward, Neb.
