MILWAUKEE – The Mount Mary University volleyball team capped off a spirited weekend at the Blue Angel Bash Saturday, scratching and clawing its way to two hard-fought, five-set victories. MMU opened the morning with a 17-25, 29-27, 22-25, 27-25, 15-8 win over North Central (Minn.) before eking out a 15-25, 25-19, 25-20, 21-25, 15-12 victory over Lawrence.
The wins—MMU's first two-match win streak since October 18, 2019—improved its overall mark to 3-6 overall.
MMU 3, North Central (Minn.) 2
Mount Mary used a 10-point service run that included three aces from freshman Ahlyna Cason (Smithton, Mo./Smithton R-VI) to surge out to a 12-2 lead in the fifth set, eventually putting away the Rams to score its second win of the season.
Sophomore Brianna Ecker (Fond du Lac, Wis./Stockbridge) scored a match-high 17 kills to go with 18 digs for her third double-double of the year. Junior Aislinn Strusz (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora) added 11 kills on .269 attacking from the outside while freshman Morgan Vander Kooy (Fond du Lac, Wis./St. Mary's Springs) added nine.
The tandem of junior Jacklyn Mozdzen (Wautoma, Wis./Wautoma) and freshman Ava Ramos (San Antonio, Texas/Marshall) tallied 20 digs apiece to go with Cason's 14, and freshman Emma White's (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) 13 digs. White also added 42 assists—a season- and career-high.
Cason's seven service aces were also a career-best.
MMU 3, Lawrence 2
Long rallies and tough serving proved the difference yet again in match two, with five different Blue Angels recording an ace from the service line. Junior Emma Carufel (St. Francis, Wis./St. Francis) recorded a career-high five, while Cason and Ramos added three and two, respectively.
Ramos' 24 digs led the defensive effort, with Mozdzen and Ecker each recording 16 saves. Cason also chipped in 11 for her second match in double figures.
Strusz led the offense with 13 kills, the only Blue Angel with double-figure kills. Ecker added nine and Mozdzen had seven, but neither team hit with a particularly high efficiency (.096 to .092 in favor of MMU).
Backrow defense aside, the Blue Angels net play was impressive outblocking Lawrence 15.0 to 4.0. Carufel registered a career-high 10 total blocks, coming off nine assists and one solo stuff, while White added seven and Vander Kooy added five.
Mount Mary's wins over the weekend broke quite a few dubious streaks. The Blue Angels' Friday win over Rockford was the first since September 7, 2016, snapping a four-match losing streak. MMU hadn't beaten North Central (Minn.) since September 10, 2011, as Saturday's result snapped a seven-match losing streak against the Rams. And the five-set thriller over Lawrence was not only the first ever match victory in seven meetings, it also featured the first ever set won by Mount Mary in the series.
The volleyball squad will look to remain hot at the Lawrence Invitational Friday and Saturday. MMU will play Maranatha Baptist, Finlandia, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and host Lawrence over the two-day slate.
