ELGIN, ILL. – With one four-game tournament already under their belts, The Mustangs traveled to Judson University to compete in the Early Bird Tournament this weekend. The Mustangs blew past their opponents collecting four wins to move them to 7-4 on the season. Tournament accolades went to Nikola Stoimenov (JR/Pazardzhik, Bulgaria) and Ben Steffen (SO/Madison, Wis.) being named to the All-Tournament Team with Steffen earning the title of Tournament MVP.In the first match of the weekend, the Mustangs battled the Lynx of Lindenwood University-Belleville. With the first two sets neck and neck knotting the match at 1-1, the Mustangs took care of business in the next two sets to defeat the Lynx 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 25-17). The Mustangs totaled 46 kills with a .282 hitting percentage, 43 assists, 40 digs, and 12 blocks. Individual leaders in the match were Strahil Svilenski (JR/Sofia, Bulgaria) with 11 kills hitting .647 followed by Steffen with 10. Evan Gaskill (SO/Cedar Rapids, Iowa) chipped in nine. Andrew Colantone (SO/Plainfield, Ill.) dished out 36 assists. On the defensive end, Mitchell Wannahwilai (FR/Rockford, Ill.) dug 12 balls. At the net, Svilenski had three solo blocks and three block assists along with Steffen adding two solo blocks and four block assists. On to the Friday night match, the Mustangs would once again earn the 3-1 (28-30, 25-13, 25-21, 25-17) win after dropping the first set in extra points against Lawrence Technological University. In the match, the Mustangs totaled 58 kills hitting a notable .355, 58 assists, 61 digs, and eight blocks. Steffen led the Mustangs with 18 kills hitting .677 followed by Stoimenov with 12. Colantone handed out 49 assists in the match. Wannahwilai and Gaskill had 13 and 11 digs respectively. Svilenski put up seven block assists.After an undefeated Friday, the Mustangs looked to continue the trend on Saturday. The Mustangs defeated Siena Heights University 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 24-26, 25-19). The Mustangs led the Saints in nearly every category totaling 49 kills with a .301 hitting percentage, 44 assists, 41 digs, and 12 blocks. Individually, Stoimenov led with 16 kills followed by Steffen with 10. Colantone collected 37 assists. Wannahwilai led the defense with 15 digs and Steffen executed one solo block and seven block assists. In the final match of the tournament, the Mustangs swept Goshen College 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-22). With ease, the Mustangs totaled 39 kills hitting .247, 38 assists, 35 digs, and six blocks. Steffen and Bobby Muller (JR/Plainfield, Ill.) led with eight and seven kills respectively. Jaime Araiza (JR/Anthony, N.M.) handed out 23 assists with Colantone adding 11. Wannahwilai dug nine balls with Araiza digging eight. Colantone had one solo block and two block assists.Up next, the Mustangs will start conference play at top-ranked Grand View University before opening up at home on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 7:00 P.M. against Saint Ambrose University for a non-conference match in Hennessey Rec Center.
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