Mount Mercy University - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Mustangs eye Heart volleyball crown

DES MOINES - Mary Kay Van Oort and the Mount Mercy Mustangs raked in some of the top honors on the Heart of America all-conference men's volleyball team on Friday.

Now Van Oort and the Mustangs are looking to capture top honors at the conference tournament and punch their ticket to the NAIA national meet.

The eighth-ranked Mustangs swept Clarke, 25-23, 25-22, 25-17, in the semifinals of the conference tournament Friday afternoon and will face fourth-ranked Grand View in the finals Saturday afternoon.

The tournament champion will earn an automatic spot in the national tournament. The runner-up could get an at-large bid to the national meet, depending on how the other conference tournaments unfold.

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Mack helps Mount Mercy slam Clarke

Michelle Mack belted a grand-slam in the sixth inning Wednesday to  help Mount Mercy top Clarke, 5-2, in the first game of their Heart of  America Conference doubleheader at Busse Field.

The Mustangs took the nightcap, 5-1, on a rainy evening in northeast  Cedar Rapids for the sweep.

The twin-killing lifted Mount Mercy into first place in the North  Division standings with an 8-2 record in the conference. The Mustangs  are 15-7 overall for the campaign.

Mount Mercy trailed, 2-1, in the sixth inning of the opener when Mack  lofted a fly ball over the fence in left field with the bases loaded.  Tawny Menster (6-0) retired Clarke in the top of the seventh to finish  the victory.

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Menster helps Mustangs sweep into 1st place

OSKALOOSA - Tawny Menster won one game with her arm Tuesday and helped  win another game with her bat.

Her exploits helped the Mount Mercy softball team sweep William Penn,  3-0 and 5-3, and move into a tie for first place in the North Division  of the Heart of America Conference.

Menster (5-0) pitched a three-hit shutout in the 3-0 victory in Game 1  with five strikeouts and no walks. She belted a three-run homer in the  5-3 victory in Game 2 to give the Mustangs the lead in the fifth inning.

The sweep lifted Mount Mercy to 13-7 overall and 6-2 in the  conference. The Mustangs are tied with Grand View for first place in  the North Division of the Heart of America.

Payton Bruner, Emily Oler and Sydney Robertson had two hits in the  opener. Oler belted a home run and drove in two runs.

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Mount Mercy baseball nipped by Penn

OSKALOOSA - The Mount Mercy baseball team was trimmed by William Penn,  4-3, in a Heart of America Conference game in Oskaloosa Tuesday.

The Mustangs fell to 14-16 overall and 9-11 in the conference. The  Statesmen raised their records to 22-6 overall and 8-3 in the league.

Evan Jackson had two hits for Mount Mercy. The Mustangs took a 3-2  lead in the top of the eighth, but William Penn scored twice in the  bottom of the eighth and held on for the victory.

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