St. Ambrose was blanked by nationally ranked Mount Mercy Thursday night in Lee Lohman Arena. However, the Fighting Bees, who were looking for an upset, played the Mustangs close both matches of the doubleheader. Throughout both matches, the score remained tight only losing game one 20-25, 19-25, and 21-25. Game two, SAU saw struggle in the first set dropping a 14-25 decision then powered back for a close set two and three, eventually losing 21-25 and 18-25.

Match one was backed by a huge defensive effort with Ethan Karban leading the way with seven digs. Anthony Anderson, and Richard Reed IV each chipped in two. Mikolaj Zielonka chipped in two digs as well as leading the team with nine kills in match one with a kill percentage of .389, which was a team high as well. Charlie Flynn earned five kills, Cael Anderson earned four, while Nick Fox and Reed chipped in three. Anderson rallied the offense and led the team with 20 assists.

Game two proved to be a similar feat but Dan Rice made his appearance for the first time all season. Rice chipped in five kills while earning a .714 kill percentage, a team high for match two. Zielonka led attack this match with seven kills and two digs. It was Anderson again with 17 assists and three digs. Karban was the defensive leader with nine digs overall with the Mustangs hitting percentage being .446 in this match alone.

Saturday will be a busy day for the Bees as they play two matches and start conference play. SAU will look to rally back when they travel to Chicago, Ill. for game play vs. Saint Xavier on Saturday, Feb. 17, first serve is slated for 11 a.m. They also prepare for a match vs. Milwaukee School of Engineering where first serve is set for 1 p.m. Saint Xavier is nationally ranked but the Bees are prepared after having played four nationally ranked teams this year. Next home match is Friday, Feb. 23 vs Jamestown at 4 p.m.