[Volleyball] Fast start doesn’t pay off for Mustangs

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Mount Mercy got off to a good start Tuesday night, but St. Ambrose came back from a set down to defeat the Mustangs, 3-1, in Midwest Collegiate Conference volleyball at Hennessey Recreation Center.

Junior outside hitter Brittney Thomas had six of her team-high 19 kills as the Mustangs took the opening set, 25-18. The Queen Bees (14-5, 3-1 MCC) bounced back with a 25-16 victory in set number two and a 25-20 win in the third set. Up 24-20, it looked like Mount Mercy (10-8, 1-3 MCC) would force a fifth set, but St. Ambrose scored six straight points to close out the match, 26-24.

Thomas, who moved into third place on Mount Mercy's career kills list over the weekend, had 19 on Tuesday to give her 1,220. She needs just 11 kills to tie Kate Ripperger for second all-time, and is only 63 shy of Amy Osenbaugh's 18-year-old school record (1,283).

Senior middle blocker Deidre Schaefer added 11 kills for the Mustangs. Senior outside hitter Becca Lampe led four Mustangs in double figures in digs with 17. Thomas had 16, senior setter Janae Rosien and sophomore libero Meghan Nelson 11 each. Rosien also had a team-best 22 assists to move into eighth place on the career chart with 1,369.

Mount Mercy has four matches coming up this weekend. The Mustangs face Trinity International (Ill.) at 6:00 p.m. and Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) at 8:00 p.m. on Friday at Cardinal Stritch in Milwaukee, Wis. Mount Mercy takes on Judson (Ill.) at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday in Elgin, Ill., and Roosevelt (Ill.) at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Illinois-Chicago.