Mount Mercy University - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

No. 2 Grand View sweeps Mustangs

DES MOINES - The Mount Mercy women's volleyball team was swept by  second-ranked Grand View, 25-10, 25-19, 25-21, in a Heart of America  Conference match Friday in Des Moines.

Grand View raised its impeccable records to 28-0 overall and 17-0 in  the conference. Mount Mercy fell to 18-13 overall and 6-11 in the  league.

Kayla Daggett had 23 assists for the Mustangs. Lauren Stopko  contributed 23 digs. Maddie Bell led the attack at the net with eight  kills and Becca Thomson had seven.

Can you dig it? Lauren Stopko can

Lauren Stopko has shattered the school record for digs for the Mount Mercy University volleyball team with a whopping 2,463 for her remarkable four-year career.

She's also among the career leaders for the Mustangs in bright smiles, energy and leadership.

"Lauren is an outstanding kid," Mount Mercy Coach Deb Marlin said Tuesday night. "She's a hard worker in the gym and she has extremely high expectations for herself.

"I think the girls look up to her."

Stopko, from Clear Creek Amana High School, stepped right into the lineup as a freshman at Mount Mercy in 2015 and has never slowed down. She collected 777 digs as a freshman and has 688 this year with a few weeks left in the regular season.

Stopko had 23 digs Tuesday night as Mount Mercy swept Briar Cliff, 25-20, 27-25, 25-20, in a non-conference match at the Hennessey Recreation Center. She notched her 23rd and final dig on set point as the Mustangs raised their record to 18-12.

Stopko, the libero at Mount Mercy, will probably finish her college career with more than 2,500 digs.

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No. 7 Missouri Valley tops Mustangs

MARSHALL, Mo. - The Mount Mercy men's soccer team gave seventh-ranked Missouri Valley a tough match Tuesday night before falling, 3-1, in a Heart of America Conference contest in Marshall.

Duarte Leite pulled the Mustangs within 2-1 with a goal in the 72nd minute, but Missouri Valley countered in the 80th minute to keep Mount Mercy at bay.

The loss dropped Mount Mercy to 6-7-3 overall and 2-7-1 in the conference.

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Mustangs kicked by Missouri Valley

MARSHALL, Mo. - Missouri Valley scored five unanswered goals Tuesday night and defeated Mount Mercy, 6-1, in a Heart of America Conference women's soccer match in Missouri.

Andrea Lopez scored for Mount Mercy on a penalty kick in the 14th minute to tie the match 1-1, but Missouri Valley responded four minutes later for a 2-1 lead that took the teams to halftime.

Missouri Valley tallied four more goals in the second half for the convincing victory, raising its records to 10-5-1 overall and 7-2-1 in the conference.

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