CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa [BOX SCORE] - Mount Mercy (Iowa) Mustangs used a steady offense after a tense opening set to pull away from Bethel (Ind.) Pilots in four sets, winning 3–1 (28–30, 25–22, 25–22, 25–18), Wednesday morning at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Bethel arrived at 21–7 and struck first by surviving a marathon opening set, 30–28, behind timely scoring from Thomas Dunkley and Ling Pak. Bethel hit .262 in that set (18 kills) and managed to outlast Mount Mercy despite the Mustangs’ pressure at the net. But the match flipped from the second set on. The Mustangs hit .257 in the second and .250 in the third, taking both sets by the same 25–22 score to move in front 2–1. In the fourth, Mount Mercy delivered its most efficient stretch of the day, hitting .308 with only three errors, to close the match 25–18 and improve to 23–4.

The difference was Mount Mercy’s balance and efficiency over the final three sets. For the match, the Mustangs hit .236 compared to Bethel’s .185, with both teams finishing with 27 attack errors but Mount Mercy producing more kills (62–52) on slightly more attempts (148–135). Guglielmo Illotti was the centerpiece of the Mount Mercy offense, piling up 29 kills for a new career-high on 59 swings while hitting .339 and accounting for 31 points. He was complemented by Raphael Massara (9 kills on .438) and Pere Font Torres (6 kills on .333), while Gabor Toth added 10 kills and a match-high three service aces.

Bethel had its own high-volume duo in Dunkley and Pak, who combined for 33 kills. Dunkley finished with 17 kills and hit .250, while Pak posted 16 kills but was held to .154 with 10 errors. Bethel’s offense dipped in sets two and four, hitting .132 and .107.

At the net, Mount Mercy also created more total blocks (24 block assists to Bethel’s 19), with Massara (seven block assists) and Krzos (five) helping to slow Bethel’s pins late. Both teams were even from the service line with three aces apiece and 10 service errors, but Mount Mercy’s pressure—especially from Toth—came at pivotal moments.

Mount Mercy (Iowa) will play one more pool play match against Saint Xavier (Ill.) on Thursday, April 30, while Bethel has been eliminated from tournament play.