Bees drop two matches to Mount Mercy
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mount Mercy (2-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
St. Ambrose (1-2) | 10 | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Ambrose (1-1) | 7 | 17 | 17 | 0 |
|
Mount Mercy (1-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
A busy start to the season, with three matches over the first three days, ended with two losses to Mount Mercy. The young Bees fell 25-7, 25-17, 25-17 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Friday night before they dropped their home opener to the same Mustang team 25-10, 25-16, 25-16 Saturday afternoon at Lee Lohman Arena.
Mount Mercy (2-0) showed why it is a team receiving votes in the NAIA top-15 poll against a St. Ambrose team with 10 freshmen on its 20-player roster.
In Friday's loss, Jon Guch led the way with six kills. Colin Teresi had five, Nick Fox four and Mikolaj Zielonka three. Anthony Anderson led the team with 19 assists. Jesse Moreno was credited with nine digs.
The Bees played better Saturday as six players collected multiple kills.
Guch again led the way with six and Fox put down five. Jake Powers recorded three kills while Teresi, Richard Reed and Dan Rice had two apiece.
Anderson collected 11 assists and Ethan Chausse finished with six assists and a team-best seven digs.
After registering just three total blocks Friday, St. Ambrose had nine Saturday. Charlie Flynn was in on four of those. Fox had three blocks.
"I think compared to Friday night, we played them a little bit better," said SAU head coach Ray Green following Saturday's match. "We were able to make better adjustments, and I think overall, we got smarter as a volleyball team tonight. We are moving in the right direction."
St. Ambrose (1-2) will return to CCAC play Tuesday when the Bees host Trinity International.