Courtesy of Midland Athletics
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – No. 18-ranked Midland University took to the road on Friday night for a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) match at Briar Cliff University. The Warriors, who will play a pair of matches in Sioux City this weekend, checked the first item off their weekend wish list with a straight-set win over the Chargers (25-16, 25-9, 25-20) inside the Newman Flanigan Center.
After trading points early in the opening set, Midland used a 5-1 run to go up 11-7. Briar Cliff hung around briefly before a 6-1 run put the visitors ahead 18-11. Behind an efficient offense that hit .414 in the set, the Warriors closed it out 25-16.
The momentum stayed with Midland as the teams flipped sides of the net. A quick seven-point start put the Chargers down bad, and the lead only grew as the Warriors cruised to a 25-9 win to go up two sets to none. BCU hit -.250 in the frame with 10 hitting errors and only three kills, while Midland swung at a .308 clip with 12 kills against just four errors.
Briar Cliff looked to shake it off at the start of the third, needing the set to stay alive, but Midland again jumped out to an early lead. The Warriors used a 7-1 run to go up 8-3 before the Chargers rallied to tie the score at 17-17, prompting a Midland timeout.
After regrouping, the Warriors closed the door with an 8-3 run to take the set 25-20 and complete the sweep.
“It felt great to be back on the court after almost a week off, and the girls didn’t miss a beat,” head coach Micah Rhodes said. “We came out loose, focused, and intentional. I thought outside of a slight dip in the third set, we played a clean and efficient match from start to finish.”
Midland hit .311 for the match, with seven players recording kills. Brooklynn Snyder led the way with 16, followed by Lauren Jones with 12. Abree Plueger and Macey Jackson each added six.
Coordinating the offense were setters Brena Mackling and Jaysa Wentzlaff. Mackling, the reigning GPAC Setter of the Week, tallied 18 assists, while Wentzlaff added 13.
Defensively, the Warriors totaled five blocks at the net. Avery Couch had a hand in three stops, while Abby Spidle, Jackson, and Jones each contributed two block assists.
At the service line, Midland notched six aces. Plueger and Tori Walker each had two, while Mackling and Lilian Meyer chipped in one apiece.
“Briar Cliff is a much-improved team from the past few seasons, and they lead the NAIA in blocks per set,” Rhodes said. “My challenge to the team was to take risks and swing high for hands. I thought Brooklynn and LJ, in particular, did an outstanding job of being aggressive and sticking to the game plan.
“Honestly, everyone executed in all aspects of the game. Because of their size and the way they block, we weren’t able to get our middles involved offensively, but both Spidey and Avery blocked and slowed down balls at the net. Tough one tomorrow at Morningside, but we are playing confidently and I’m excited for the challenge and opportunity in front of us.”
Midland (11-6, 6-1 GPAC) will head back to Sioux City on Saturday to take on Morningside (9-8, 3-4 GPAC). The Warriors and Mustangs will meet inside the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center at 5 p.m.
