Pride win first set but fall 3-1 to Mount Mercy

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Finishing off a quick three-game homestand against a familiar foe, the Clarke University women's volleyball team dropped their Tuesday night match against Mount Mercy University in the Kehl Center by a final score of 3-1.

The Pride were able to outplay the basic numbers in a first set 25-23 win and were at another set point in the second at 24-22 before the Mustangs rallied for the final four points of the second set to win 26-24 before rallying to comfortable 25-16 and 25-15 set wins in the third and fourth to close the match in four.

In both the first and second sets CU finished with more errors and a worse hitting percentage but were able to produce more kills to counter balance those adverse team statistics but Mount Mercy would regain the offensive advantage in all three categories of kills, errors, and hitting percentage in the third and fourth.

Clarke had the match's leader in kills in junior Keely Colyer, who produced 14 kills on 31 swings for a .226 hitting percentage while also being in on six blocks for 17 total points on the night with only one other member of the team producing double digit points as Kortney Harms had eight kills, two aces, and a block assist for a 10.5-point performance on top of her team-high 15 assists and a six-dig night.

Returning to the floor from an illness that kept her away from the Pride's last match, libero Jayden Knox produced a match-high 17 digs for her third-straight double digit dig match and her most digs in a match since Aug. 27 when she had 18 digs at Judson.

For the Mustangs, their outside hitter duo of Hallie Bedier and Mary Kate Bendlage combined for 24 of the team's 48 kills with Bedier leading the team at 13 kills and Bendlage producing a double-double with 11 kills and a team-high 13 digs.

Clarke women's volleyball will now take a very brief road trip for their next match when they travel to Peru, Neb. for a Saturday afternoon matchup against Peru State College with a scheduled first serve at 1:00 p.m. CT between the Bobcats and Pride.