Courtesy of Midland Athletics
CRETE, Neb. – After back-to-back weekends of Friday-Saturday matches, No. 17-ranked Midland University returned to midweek action as it traveled to face Doane University. The Warriors handled the Tigers in straight sets (25-14, 25-21, 25-21), earning a sweep in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play to remain in third place in the standings.
Midland was focused early and had the upper hand from the start, jumping out to a 12-6 lead behind four kills from Abree Plueger. As the set progressed, the offensive attack spread out as Brooklynn Snyder, Abby Spidle, Lauren Jones, and Macey Jackson helped the Warriors cruise to a 25-14 win.
After switching sides, it was Doane that grabbed the early advantage. The Tigers used a 6-1 run to move in front, but their lead was short-lived as the Warriors rallied to tie the score at 11-11. The teams traded side outs before Midland went on a four-point run to seize control. Snyder was the featured attacker during the stretch, recording four kills as the Warriors took the second set, 25-21.
Control of the third set was up for grabs early, with neither side pulling ahead by more than a few points. That trend continued until Midland went on a three-point swing to go up 17-15. The Tigers were unable to string together consecutive points from that point on, and the Warriors closed out the set, 25-21, for the road sweep over their longtime conference rivals.
It was a balanced attack in the clinching set, with four players registering multiple kills. Snyder led the way with four, while Cameran Jansky, Jones, and Spidle each had two. Midland hit a match-best .296 in the third with 12 kills.
“I really liked the way we rebounded from a tough loss to Northwestern last Saturday,” said head coach Micah Rhodes. “Doane can be a tough team to play on their home court, so getting a GPAC road sweep is a testament to the team’s focus and ability to lock in. We executed our game plan well and never really let them get into a rhythm offensively.
“Outside of Brooklynn, who was unstoppable at the net, I don’t think we necessarily played efficiently from an offensive standpoint — even though it was one of our better passing nights overall. Claire, in particular, was money in serve receive and defense.”
For the match, Midland hit .204 while limiting Doane to a .065 hitting percentage. The Warriors recorded six blocks, with Spidle assisting on four of them to lead the way. In the back row, Claire Johnson paced the team with 17 digs, while Plueger and Brena Macklingeach had six.
Mackling partnered with Jaysa Wentzlaff to coordinate the offense. Mackling finished with 17 assists, while Wentzlaff had 16 to go along with three digs. Snyder was the lone Warrior in double figures for kills with 15. Plueger and Jones each had six, while Jackson added four.
At the service line, Lillian Meyer recorded a pair of aces as the team finished with six overall. The Tigers managed just one ace as the Warriors controlled serve receive.
“Now we’ll turn our focus to Dordt, a team that is having one of its best seasons in recent years,” added Rhodes. “We have things to clean up, but I still like our team’s trajectory as we near the end of the regular season.”
Midland (14-7, 9-2 GPAC) will be back on the road for a conference match at Dordt (16-6, 7-4 GPAC) this weekend. The Warriors will travel to Sioux Center, Iowa, on Saturday for a meeting with the Defenders at 5 p.m. inside De Witt Gymnasium.
