Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – No. 19-ranked and third-seeded Midland University hosted seventh-seeded College of Saint Mary on Wednesday night in the opening round of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Postseason Tournament. After needing five sets to win both regular-season matchups, the Warriors were much more efficient this time, sweeping the Flames in three sets (25-15, 25-19, 25-15). The victory sends Midland to the GPAC semifinals for the fourth consecutive season.
The opening set saw Midland break a 7-7 tie with a dominant 10-3 run to seize control. Another six-point swing put the Warriors two points away from set point, and after trading the final few rallies, they closed it out, 25-15. Midland hit a blistering .480 with 14 kills and just two errors, while CSM was limited to a .071 hitting mark with nine kills and seven errors.
Midland jumped out to an early lead in the second set, building a 12-5 advantage. After a couple of short runs by the Flames pulled them within four, the Warriors responded with a 6-2 stretch to reach set point. CSM extended the frame briefly before a kill from Lauren Jonessealed a 25-19 win. The Warriors’ offense cooled slightly in the second, hitting .297 with 15 kills. The Flames posted their best offensive set of the night, hitting .150 with 12 kills.
With momentum fully on its side, Midland raced out to a 6-0 start in the third set and never looked back. The Warriors extended their lead to 13-2 before trading points the rest of the way. With the outcome in hand, Midland rotated in several reserves and capped off the sweep with a kill from Hutson Rau, 25-15.
In the third set, Midland hit .278 with 15 kills while holding CSM to a match-low .027 with eight kills. For the match, the Warriors finished with a .377 hitting percentage — their third-best mark of the season. The Flames hit .086 as their season came to a close.
Brena Mackling and Jaysa Wentzlaff directed the offense with 20 and 14 assists, respectively, as five Warriors tallied five or more kills. Brooklynn Snyder led the way with 10 kills, followed by Jones and Abree Plueger with eight apiece. Avery Couch added six kills, and Macey Jackson chipped in five.
At the net, Midland totaled nine team blocks. Couch was in on five stuffs, while Jones contributed four. Plueger and Cameran Jansky each recorded three block assists.
Defensively, Delainey Cast paced the back row with 11 digs. Tori Walker added eight, while Guthard, Plueger, and Wentzlaff each had four. The Warriors also tallied eight service aces, led by Guthard with three. Plueger and Mackling each served two, and Lillian Meyer added one.
“I was nervous coming into tonight, if I’m being honest, because it’s hard to beat a team three times in a row,” said head coach Micah Rhodes. “It’s hard to beat a team that’s literally fighting for their season. That can always bring extra implications, and with our youth, I wasn’t sure how we’d handle the first taste of postseason play for our newcomers. I’m excited and happy with the way we played, and it’s great that this is the time of year we’re playing our best volleyball.”
“We were locked into the scouting report,” Rhodes added. “We’ve played ten sets with them before, so we knew what to expect. You could really tell our team was dialed in, and it worked.”
Midland (18-9) advances to the GPAC semifinals next Wednesday to face second-seeded Concordia (23-2). It will be the third meeting between the rivals this season. The Bulldogs won the first in four sets before narrowly taking the second in five during the final week of the regular season. First serve is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, in Seward, Nebraska.
