Festival of Lessons and Carols - Annual Vespers Service

“Festival of Lessons and Carols,” this year's annual Vespers Service was held yesterday (December 9) at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. in the Bishop Marty Chapel at Mount Marty College. The event is always a highly anticipated holiday event with a huge attendance of not only Mount Marty faculty, staff and students, but also people from Yankton and other surrounding communities.

This year's performance was directed by the Director of Choral Activities, Dr. Sean Vogt, who is new to MMC this year.

Photo by Theresa Condon

A Night of Musical Magic with Matthew Mayer

Matthew Mayer made a return trip to perform a holiday concert at Mount Marty on Friday, December 7. The concert included much of Mayer's original compositions and his renditions of many popular holiday and religious music. All in attendance would agree that he is an amazing talent and an engaging entertainer.

Originally for Canistota, SD, Mayer had a brief stint in Hollywood before moving back to the Midwest (Omaha, Ne) to live, work and pursue his musical career. To learn more about Matthew, hear his music, or purchase one of his CD's, visit his official website.

Photo by Theresa Condon

Making Ornaments

Campus Programming sponsored a night of fun and creativity last week. Students were invited to gather in the Cyber Cafe to craft their own Christmas ornaments.

Below: Julia Matthys creates a beautiful ornament with the supplies provided.

Photo by Theresa Condon

Student Art Featured in Bede Art Gallery

MMC student artwork was featured in the Bede Art Gallery recently as is usual at the end of each semester here on campus. It is a great way to see what students have been creating in their art courses and a wonderful way to expose their talents to the campus.

Floral Fantasy by Kim Hilson:

A painting by Jessica Albers:

Pottery - Unknown

Photos by Theresa Condon

In the Spirit of Giving

A Mount Marty College Blood Drive was held today from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Laddie E.Cimpl Arena. Student Government Association and MMC Student Health sponsored the Blood Drive.

Below: Krista Hohn gave the gift of life today...did you?


Photo by Theresa Condon

A Festive Feel on Campus

It's starting to look a little like Christmas on the Mount Marty campus these days with the decorating that students and staff are doing. To assist in the festive feel, Campus Programming recently sponsored a holiday window painting event in which various student clubs and organizations could paint their own window.

Jennifer Bautista contibutes a little colorful artwork to the Graphic Art Club's window.

Jim Hovland and Melissa Cihal also got into the holiday spirit with a little red and white paint.

Photos by Theresa Condon

Mount Marty Feeds 26 Families for Thanksgiving

On November 20, a ceremony was held in the Peace Chapel to bless the 26 food baskets that we ready to be delivered to deserving families in the Yankton area. Twenty-three different student, staff and faculty groups contributed to the collection of food this year.

Fall Play: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged

A production of THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ABRIDGED took place November 8,9, & 10 as part of Mount Marty's annual Blue & Gold Days Celebration. The play was performed to a full house in Marian Auditorium each evening.

Obviously not your 'typical' rendition of Shakespeare, the lead actors prepare to perform OTHELLO in the form of a rap.

Here, Shakespeare's history plays are enacted through a good old-fashioned game of football.

The cast and running crew of this production included: Dmitri Baumgart, Mark Van Gerpen, Taylor Biltoft, Aaron Shelden, Kelly Olmer, Stephanie Stech, Cody Juffer, Margie Hansen, Rachel Jankord, Bethany Bakker, Megan Henle, Celianne Fullerton, Mark Nelson, Brooke Stones, Ben Puthoff, Beau Fleming

Photos by Rich Lofthus

Lancer of the Week- Week of November 19-24

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS:
Katelynn Kunz
Jr., G
Parker, SD
Kunz led the Lancers in scoring with 21 points in their victory against #9 ranked Dakota State on November 20.

MEN’S ATHLETICS
Rudy Harper
Fr., G
St. Charles, MO
Harper came off the bench to score 12 points in the win against Graceland University. Harper’s scoring helped to ignite a Lancer run which they would hold for the remainder of the game.

Lancers upset #9 Trojans

BY SCOTT MORRISON

Entering their non-conference match against the ninth ranked Dakota State Trojans, the Lancers knew they would need a complete team effort in order to come out on top.

The Lady Lancers received this along with much more as they handed the Trojans their first loss of the season with a 69-61 victory at Ladie Cimpl Arena.

Junior guard Katelynn Kunz led the way by scoring a game high 21 points coming off the bench. This included a 9-for-11 performance from the free-throw line.

The Lancers bench accounted for over half of their point production with 36 points coming from five different girls.

“Our bench was huge for us tonight,” Lancer coach Chuck Iverson said. “I look at our team as not having a starting five, but a starting ten or 11 girls that all have different abilities.”

The game started as the Lancers jumped out to a quick 9-5 lead after sophomore guard Michelle Amundson converted lay-ups on two consecutive possessions.

Their lead increased steadily throughout the first half until sophomore guard Lacey Powell knocked down two 3-pointers and two free-throws as part of a 13-2 Lancer run.

Powell’s timely shooting accounted for all eight of her points and gave the Lancers a 32-18 lead headed into the half.

“We got some good looks at the basket. Good execution, recognition, and finding open holes all lead to our early lead,” Iverson said.

“We have great team chemistry. We are very unselfish and have a no I in team attitude which allows for different players to step up on different nights.”

The Lancers defense forced numerous turnovers and held Dakota State to 33% from the field at the half.

In the second half the Lancers clamped down tightly on defense by never allowing Dakota State to put together a comeback run.

Kunz, who went 5-14 from the field, kept the Lancers ahead by driving to the hoop and forcing the Trojan defenders to send her to the line.

This worked hand-in-hand with a couple of key steals by senior guard Tevan Wenbourne, and continual turnovers by the Trojan offense.
Wenbourne was 4-for-6 from the field with ten points, three rebounds, and two steals.

“Mount Marty plays great defense and you know that everything is going to be contested,” Trojan coach Jeff Dittman said.

“They were quicker to the ball and we were forced to react to their style rather than forcing them to react to ours.”

The Trojans moved to 5-1 on the young season and will look to rebound in order to remain on the right track.

“We are going to have to learn how to play defense and rebound the basketball in order to get back to where we want to be,” Dittman said.

With the win, the Lancers (4-2) improved to 3-0 at home and helped to give them a considerable boost of confidence headed into conference play.

They begin conference play on the road against Morningside College on Wednesday, November 28, and at Hastings on Saturday, December 1.

The Lancers will certainly need to continue their team oriented performance in order to gain the upper hand in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.

Lancers Hold Off Yellowjackets

BY SCOTT MORRISON
sports@yankton.net

After starting off in a 1-4 hole to begin the season, the Mount Marty Lancers men's basketball team found a way to capture a hard fought 64-59 victory against visiting Graceland University on Tuesday night at Laddie E. Cimpl Arena.

The Lancers (2-4) used key contributions from players coming of the bench and solid pressure from an experienced defense to disrupt a Yellowjacket team (1-4) that has been battling for confidence early in the season.

Both teams battled for control of the upper hand in the beginning portion of the game until midway through the first half when the Lancers gained the first sizable lead of the contest with a 14-3 run.

The run was sparked by sophomore guard Trey Krier who hit a jump shot just outside the paint only moments after coming into the game.

This was followed by three pointers from freshman guard Rudy Harper and senior guard Pat Anderson.

Senior forward Nathan Fischer added four consecutive points and freshman guard Weston Kusser added a bucket to give the Lancers a 31-20 lead.

The run was given life by the fresh legs of some younger players coming off the bench for the first time in the game.

The Lancers received nearly a third of their point production from off the bench. They had 20 total points off the bench in the game.

The Lancers shot 51.7% from the field in the half. Finding the open shots and running the floor helped to give them the 39-31 lead at the break.

"Our players coming of the bench helped us out a lot on the offensive side tonight," Lancer head coach Jim thorson said. "We know that we can shoot well as long as we are able to take care of the ball. We did that consistently in the first half."

In the second half the Yellowjackets came out strong with multiple runs that kept the game close. The Lancers had multiple opportunities to put the game away early, but struggled from the free-throw line down the stretch.

Graceland started the half by cutting the Lancer lead to five points at 47-42 as Tyson Meierotto scored four points during an 8-2 scoring run.

The Lancers quickly put a halt to the run as senior forward Alan Hough hit an uncontested three pointer an inbound play.

This helped to spark a Lancer run that gave them a ten point advantage at 59-49.

Again the Yellowjackets came roaring back to cut the lead to three at 59-56 thanks in part to four straight points from Chase Moore.

Two clutch free-throws from Hough, and a much needed steal from senior point guard Chris Filsinger gave the Lancers lead and the ball with under 1:00 to play in regulation.

The Lancers held onto the ball and closed out the victory.

Defense was a key to holding the lead throughout each attempt that Graceland made at the lead. The Lancers limited Graceland to only a small number of shots in the final minutes of the game.

"Defensively we came into the came thinking that we would be able to force turnovers and pressure the Graceland offense into making some mistakes,"
Thorson said. "We focused on adjusting to their offense and just taking something away from their attack."

Pat Anderson went 6-for-15 from the field to lead the Lancers with 18 points, but the surprise story was the emergence of Rudy Harper who was 3-for-4 from the field with 12 points.

"Rudy is getting accustomed to the physical aspect of this level. He is starting to get comfortable with blending into our offense," Thorson said.

With the win, the Lancers will have some much need momentum headed into Great Plains Athletic Conference play. This will begin at Sioux City, Iowa against Morningside College at 8:00 p.m. on November 28

Lancers of the Week- Week of November 5-12

MEN’S ATHLETICS:
Pat Anderson
Sr.
Pierre, SD
Anderson led his team to a 82-73 win over Jamestown college after going 4-for-6 from the perimeter and scoring 25 points. He scored 39 points over the weekend.

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS:
Carrie Ahlers
Sr.
Dell Rapids, SD
Ahlers posted 16 points and 12 rebounds in a weekend in which she fought past injuries to help her team pick up two victories over the weekend

MEN’S BASKETBALL WEEKLY REVIEW: Lancers Split During Blue and Gold Days

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers had a productive weekend at home as they played Jamestown College and Valley City College during Blue and Gold Days.

The Lancers got their first win of the season as they defeated NAIA pre-season #8 ranked Jamestown College 82-73.

Perimeter shooting was one of the key to victory for the Lancers. They shot a stellar 64.7% from beyond the arc.

Seniors Pat Anderson and Nathan Fischer were two of the Lancers hottest shooters.

Anderson went 4-for-6 from three point land to help give him 25 points on the night. Fischer went 3-for-6 and finished with 13 points.

Freshman Weston Kusser came off the bench to hit a couple three pointers. He finished with eight points.

The Lancers would move to 1-3 on the young season after a 68-61 loss to Valley City on Saturday.

After gaining six point lead and holding Valley City to only 25 point in the first half, the Lancers were unable to maintain their lead in the second half.

“Both teams struggled a little bit on offense,” Lancer coach Jim Thorson said. “We held them to 25 points in the first half, but they found a way to make a little run and get back into it.”

In the second half Valley City went on a run and to the lead. The Lancers would cut the lead to four, but would be unable to recapture the lead.

“They found a play that we had trouble stopping and we failed to make the adjustments,” Thorson said.

Stan Johnson led the Lancers with 17 points, six total rebounds, and one blocked shot. Pat Anderson scored 14 points.

The Lancers travel to Aberdeen to play Northern State University on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WEEKLY REVIEW: Lancers Sweep Through Weekend

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lady Lancers improved to 3-1 on the season after defeating Jamestown College and Valley City College during the weekend during Blue and Gold days.

On Friday night, the Lancers defeated Jamestown 66-46 in a game in which everything seemed to go their way.

The Lancers started the first half on fire scoring 41 points. They were also able to keep Jamestown from creating much offense as they held them to just 16 points at the half.

“We had everyone contribute. We had a well balanced approach,” Lancer coach Chuck Iverson said.

They held Jamestown standout Giuli Varriano, who averaged 28.0 points per game coming in, to just six points and no assists.

Lancer senior Cassie Iverson led the team with 11 points. Senior Tevan Wenbourne posted four points, seven assists, and three steals.

Senior Carrie Ahlers had five points with six rebounds.

Against Valley City the Lancers suffered a little let down, but still found a way to come out on top.

The Lancers held an eight point advantage that they earned in the first half to give them the 74-66 victory.

“After defeating a tougher Jamestown team, we were a little afraid of having a let down,” Iverson said. “We were never able to get into sync throughout the game.”

The Lancers had three girls score double figures on the night. This included sophomore Michelle Amundson who went four-for-six from the field and picked up 17 points.

Senior Emily Witte was three-for-five from beyond the three point line. She contributed 12 points on the night.

Carrie Ahlers also had a strong night as she scored 11 points with six rebounds.

Wenbourne was the Lancers best all-around performer with nine points, six assists, four steals, and four rebounds.

The Lancers will travel to Vermillion to visit the University of South Dakota womens basketball team on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

A Special Visitor on Founder's Day

On Founders’ Day, we remember those who were instrumental in beginning Mount Marty College. We especially remember Mother Jerome Schmitt, a woman of faith and vision, who brought her dream of establishing a college to a reality. Mother Jerome was 33 years old when she was elected Prioress of Sacred Heart Monastery. She served in this position from 1932-1961. She was also the first president of Mount Marty College and held that position from 1936-1957. Mother Jerome died in 1983 at the age of 84. Additional information about Mother Jerome and Founders’ Day will be available on the tables in Roncalli and the Cyber Café.

MMC also enjoyed a special 'heavenly' visitor on campus this Founder's Day! Mother Jerome (a.k.a. Sister Maribeth Wentzlaff) was there to distribute Founder's Day Fudge to all students, faculty and staff enjoying lunch in the Roncalli Main Dining Room as well as to remind all about the core values on which Mount Marty was founded.

MMC Competes in Miss South Dakota Pageant

Jessica Albers, Mount Marty College Junior Business major, competed in the Miss South Dakota Pageant this weekend.

Jessica finished as the 3rd Runner-Up and was presented The Miss Congeniality Award for the second year in a row.

Photo by Theresa Condon

Noon Forum Briefs

BY PAIGE LINDEN

10/4/2007 - “The Present and Future Middle East: Expanding Conflict and Diminishing Peace”
Dr. Tim Schorn, a professor in the political science department at the University of South Dakota and the director of the International Studies program, made the trip to Mount Marty College to talk about what he considers the six main conflicts in the Middle East.

While Dr. Schorn was clear that he considered the war in Iraq a major conflict, he expanded his discussion to all conflicts in the Middle East, including those between the Palestinians and Israelites, Israel and Hezbollah, Iran and Saudi Arabia, Israel and Syria, and rebel Islamists and Algeria and Morocco. He also listed the three main obstacles that must be overcome to resolve these conflicts.

To conclude his forum, Dr. Schorn proposed steps that could be taken to resolve these conflicts. He suggested that the international community take action and that the Iraq Study Group be reinstated, but he believes that the biggest step that could be taken by conflicting countries is becoming more open to compromise.

10/11/2007 - “The Use of Colors and Symbols in Fine Arts by the Lakota”
David Kahle, associate professor of Art and Director of the Bede Art Gallery here at Mount Marty College, invited Samuel and Winona Begay to assist him in his discussion of how the Native American Lakota tribe uses colors and symbols as they create art.

Winona, who grew up in Oklahoma and learned English as her second language, learned beadwork from her grandmother. She uses some traditional materials in her work, such as porcupine quills and feathers, but likes to experiment with the different types and sizes of beads. She also makes some traditional pieces, such as dream catchers and earrings. She explained that Lakota beadwork has four main colors: blue for the sky, green for the earth, yellow for the people, and red for the sun.

Samuel’s art is in his music. He is a Navajo from the Arizona area, but his tribe is originally from Alaska. He also does some beadwork, mainly belt buckles, but his creativity is best expressed in his music. He writes and sings his own songs, telling about life on a reservation.

10/18/2007 - “The Plight of Dalits in India”
A year ago, Sister Andree Mechtenberg was offered an opportunity to travel to India on a two-week long medical mission trip. In her forum, she described her experiences dealing with the Dalit people, those who are not even recognized as humans by the Indian caste system.

There are about 250 million Dalits in India. They are the untouchables, the outcasts, the forgotten people. They are denied access to public wells, basic medical care, temples, and education. Working with the Dalit Freedom Network, Sr. Andree’s group traveled throughout the Dalit communities, providing basic care for those in need.

Using children as interpreters, Sr. Andree’s camp saw 3400 men, women, and children over the course of 5 days. People traveled for miles and waited in line for hours to receive care that would be provided to a citizen of India; unfortunately, as a Dalit, they are placed on the same level of worth as animals.

11/1/2007 - “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”
Dr. Alan Ferris, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Institutional Research here at Mount Marty College, presented a summary of the honors class of spring 2007. The class, entitled “Happiness, Humor, and Health”, had three questions that were the basis of study: What is happiness? What is humor? How are happiness, humor, and health related?

Throughout the course of the semester, students learned what components go into both happiness and humor. Work and education, religion, family life, age, and overall life satisfaction are some of the aspects that can contribute to an overall happy life.

To end his forum, Ferris showed a project that students had presented on what can be done on the MMC campus to increase student happiness. Last spring, Ferris showed this project to the board and received an anonymous $1000 grant to increase campus happiness. Students from the honors class will decide how the money can best be used.

Men’s Basketball Weekly Review: Lancers Drop Heart Breaking Losses in their Opening Games

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Mount Marty College men’s basketball team fell against Black Hills State University and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology during the weekend.

On Saturday afternoon the Lancers (0-2) traveled to the Spearfish where fell to Black Hills State University 72-71.

In the game, the Lancers fell to an 11 point deficit at half time. They were down double digits for the beginning portion of the second half, but gradually chipped away until they brought the game to tie with :20 remaining.

The Lancer gave up the lead on a BHSU free throw, but got the ball across half court with time remaining. The Lancers were unable to get the shot off and dropped the game.

Nathan Fischer and Stan Johnson were the leading point scorers with 14 points. Johnson added ten rebounds and two blocked shots.

In the second game, the Lancers continued their tour of the Black Hills by stopping in Rapid City to play against SDSMT.

For the second game in a row, the Lancers fell to an early deficit in the first half. They climbed back within two points with a halftime score 43-41.

They fell again in the second half but were able to climb back within striking distance while holding SDSMT scoreless for nearly seven minutes.

Down by one with only seconds remaining on the clock, the Lancers failed to convert on a field goal that would have given them the lead and the victory.

Pat Anderson led the Lancers with 18 points, three assists and four steals.

“When you get that close and work that hard, you want to get the win,” Lancers coach Jim Thorson said. “We did have some positives and that was that we were able to prove what we are capable of.”

The Lancers will have two games at home this weekend. This starts with Jamestown College on Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Valley State University at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.

CROSS CROUNTRY WEEKLY REVIEW: Season Concludes with Region Meet

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers finished their 2007 Cross Country season over the weekend at the NAIA Region Three meet.

With the addition of a couple of new runners that had just completed their soccer season, the Lancers were able to qualify as a team for the first time this season.

Given this, the Lancers finished in 16th place out of eighteen teams. They best runners ran a combined 1:53.38.

Sophomore Megan O’Grady was the most outstanding runner for the Lancers. She finished in 40th place with a 19:57.12.

Finishing in 110th position was junior Jessica Albers. She finished the race with a 21:15.53.

Both O’Grady and Albers posted career bests in the meet.

Junior Theresa Condon was right behind Albers in 123rd place with a 22:53.32. Stephanie Schultz finished in 130th place with a 23:17.47.

Senior Laura Condon, Abby Hunhoff, Ashley Solem, and Britteny Williams all finished with in :45 seconds of each other.

None of the Lancers will advance to the NAIA national meet.

“We are very happy for the way we were able to run, not only this meet, but the entire season,” Lancer coach Randy Fischer said. “All we can do now is to improve over the off-season.”

A Haunted Halloween at the Mount

About 50 MMC students hosted between 250-300 costumed visitors on campus last night for the annual MMC Halloween Party. Various student clubs and organizations hosted games and booths for area children as well as guided brave souls through a spooky haunted house!

Emmylou O'Brien and Katie Brech hosted a face-painting table on behalf of the student newspaper, The Moderator. Emmylou paints the face of an Yankton youth.

Cody Juffer came out in full costume to help out at the Education Club booth!

Several members of the S.T.E.P/Social Science Club sponsored a "Bucket of Brains" booth with prizes for those adventurous enough to explore the contents of each bucket.

Lancer of the Week- Week of October 22-29

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS:
Lauren Donlin
So., Forward
Seattle, Washington
Donlin re-set the Lancers individual season scoring record with 14 goals in the 2008 women’s soccer season.

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS:
Laura Starman
Sr., MB
Starman fought through an adversity filled season to participate in her final home match as a Mount Marty Lancer last Saturday.

Warriors Slash Lancers Hopes on Senior Day

BY SCOTT MORRISON
sports@yankton.net

The Midland Lutheran Lady Warriors defeated the Mount Marty College Lancers 30-22, 30-25, 30-19 Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at Ladie E. Cimpl Arena.

Prior to the start of the game, seniors Laura Starman and Tara Adamson were honored for their continued service to the Lancer volleyball program.

Starman was a leader throughout her injury shortened career.

“Laura Starman is a girl that everyone should try and emulate,” Lancer coach Tracy Grotenhuis said. “She had a couple of tough breaks throughout the year, but never let it affect our team’s performance.”

Tara Adamson provided a young Lancer team some much needed experience at the outside hitter position.

“We were happy that Tara joined our team. She was one of the most athletic girls that we have had in our program,” Grotenhuis said.

In the match, the Lancers had a difficult time matching the intensity on the other side of the net.

“Our girls were working to prepare for the conference tournament. We were motivated to play well today,” Warriors coach Kristen Lebeda-Svehla said.

In the first game the Warriors jumped out to a quick 8-1 lead after junior Beth Williams recorded two ace serves.

The Lancers fought back in the middle portion of the game as Adamson recorded three consecutive blocking assists.

“We knew we were more than likely headed to the conference tournament with a win today. Setting the tone in the first game helped us in the right direction,” Lebeda-Svehla said.

The Lancers had a 23-19 lead in the latter stages of the game, but the Warriors went on two runs to pull out the 30-25 victory.

Game two went neck-in-neck until the Warriors went on a run late. The Warriors won the game 30-27.

The Lancers were up 19-13 at one point, but lost the lead at 26-25 and wouldn’t recover. Warriors sophomore Mikhala Newman posted five of her 13 kills in the game.

“We had chances in both games one and two, but we were not able to come out on top. Today just wasn’t our day,” Grotenhuis said.

Midland Lutheran started off hot again in the third game, but this time they would not allow the Lancers to fight back. The secured the match victory with a 30-19 win in the game.

Midland senior Megan Hope posted five of her 13 kills in the game.

Junior Lindsey Beacom led the Lancers with eight kills and one ace serve. Adamson contributed with six kills, one ace serves, and three blocking assists.

“We were faced with a lot of adversity with the injury to Starman, but we had a lot of our freshman step up and play at a high level,” Grotenhuis commented on her team’s season.

The Lancers (7-20, 2-13 GPAC) will travel to play Grace University tomorrow. The Lancers defeated Grace the last time the two teams matched up.

CROSS CROUNTRY WEEKLY REVIEW: Lancers Race Through GPAC Meet

The Lancers traveled to Crete, Neb. To run in the Great plains Athletic Conference Track Meet on Saturday.

The four Lancers runners showed a little improvement, finishing within just a few short minutes of each other.

Sophomore Megan O’ Grady was the first Lancer to cross the finish line. She finished in 55th place overall with a time of 21:18.57.

Not far behind her was junior Jessica Albers. Albers finished in 84th place with a 22:53.47.

Ashley Solem also finished in the top 100 runners with a 25:27.46. Britteny Williams took up the rear with a 103 place finish and time of 26:52.00.

Up next, the Lancers with compete in their regional meet in Sioux Falls. The meet begins November 3.

Bowling Fever

Last night, an open bowl was hosted as Yankton Bowl and MMC students filled the house for a night of fun.

Jim Hovland shows off his bowling expertise.

Sara Haase, Lauren Donlin, and Javy Murguia hang out between frames.

Brother David takes the approach.


Photos by Theresa Condon

Lancer of the Week- Week of October 16-23

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS:
Abby Haiar
Jr., Forward
Aberdeen, SD
Haiar helped her team to a match victory over Dakota Wesleyan University by posting 11 kills, two ace serves, one solo block, 30 set assists, and 13 digs.
Haiar is seventh in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in Hitting Percentage with a 32.2 %.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SOCCER WEEKLY REVIEW: Lancers fall to USF, Dordt

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers soccer program continued to struggle through conference play last week. Both the men’s and women’s team dropped games to the University of Sioux Falls and Dordt College.

The Lancer men fell to USF 5-1 after allowing the first five goals. They were able to score the final goal of the match.

After limiting the Cougars to two goals in the first half, the Lancers had trouble with containing them in the second half.

“They say that the toughest lead to hold in soccer is 2-0,” Lancer coach Dan Hendricks said. “You start to feel comfortable, yet only one goal will give the other team enough momentum to comeback.”

“We were trying to go off of this principle, but we had trouble holding the lead,” Hendricks said.

The Lancers lone goal came after Rogelio Duran played a pass through to Jose Garcia who found himself on a break-away.

Garcia beat the goal keep for his team leading fifth goal of the season.

The MMC men were unable to defeat Dordt College as they were shutout 6-0 in Sioux Center, Iowa.

“In comparison to our game against USF, I though out performance against Dordt was good,” Hendricks said. “We had trouble handling one of their forwards, but besides that we played well as a group.”

We did have some trouble with defensive organization and staying onsides,” Hendricks said. “We knew who we had to keep track of and we just couldn’t do it.”


The Lancer women were also unable to defeat USF. They were shutout as they lost the match 2-0.

“We didn’t feel like we played as good as we could have and as good as we have recently,” Hendricks said. “We had an off-day. We were not ready to play.”

The Lancers gave up their first goal midway through the first quarter. Then allowed the last one with twenty minutes left in the match.

Despite the inability to break the Cougar defense, the Lancers tightened their defense and allowed a 2007 team conference low by only allowing two goals.

The Lancers women had a difficult time handling the Dordt women as they lost 6-1 on Saturday.

Dordt gradually built the score to 6-0 and then sophomore Lauren Donlin scored with 15 minutes remaining to make it 6-1.

Donlin’s goal was her tenth of the season, just two goals away from a MMC record of 12 goals. The record was set by Donlin in her freshman season.

The Lancers will play Wednesday in their final home game of the season against Dakota Wesleyan at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

They will travel to Seward, Neb. to face Concordia University in their final game of the season. The games will be at 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY REVIEW: Lancers Pick Up Road Win Against Rival DWU

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers came up with one of their biggest wins of the season by defeating Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell.

“This was definitely one of the best games of our season,” Lancers coach Tracy Grotenhuis said. “It was a big win for us at our rival school.

The Lancers pulled out the match victory 30-26,30-26,21-30,30-23 against the Tigers (6-18, 2-10 GPAC) who defeated the Lancers earlier this season in Yankton.

Junior hitter Tara Adamson was the top Lancer performer with 16 kills, two ace serves, two solo blocks, and 13 digs.

Junior setter Abby Haiar finished the match with 11 kills, two ace serves, one solo block 30 set assists, and 13 digs.

The Lancers got off to a hot start in the first two games thanks in part to an aggressive attack around from the serving line and around the net.

“We did very well in the first two games with our aggressive serves. We were able to take them out of their quick offense,” Grotenhuis said.

The Lancers dropped the third game, but guaranteed the match victory with a 30-23 win in the last game.

“In the third game we had a lot of unforced errors, but we were able to get back to what we were doing well in the last game,” Grotenhuis added.

The Lancers played in their final match of the week in Crete, Neb. against Doane College.

Unfortunately for MMC, they would not be able to improve upon their match against DWU.

They experienced a let down and lost the match 30-19,30-19,30-16 to the Tigers (12-12, 6-6 GPAC) .

“Doane is playing very tough right now,” Grotenhuis said. “Though they have a .500 reacord, they have beaten a number of the top teams in our conference lately.”

The Lancers were forced to fight for every point and still were unable to handle a majority of Doane’s attack.

Leading the way for the Lancers was Tara Adamson who posted eight kills, one solo block, and 11 digs. Sophomore Kate Carda and Abby Haiar each had six kills. Haiar added 18 set assists and eight digs.

Three out of the remaining four matches will be at home. These matches will all be played this week. They will match up against Morningside College on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Dordt College on Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Midland Lutheran College on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

Musical Talent Abounds on MMC Campus

MMC students had a chance to showcase their musical talents during a recent 'Open Mic Night' held in the Cyber Cafe. The event was very well-attended by MMC students and participation on stage was high as well.

Chris Filsinger strums out a few notes on the guitar.

It was a full house in the MMC Cyber Cafe.

Mike Hammonds and Quincey Oliver performed a rap for the crowd.

MMC's own, Mike Hammonds, Blain Williams, and Dean Hansen perform together in their band known as Stripfish.

Photos by Theresa Condon

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers had a trouble staying on top as they lost four of five matches from the past week. The Lancers picked up a loss against Northwestern College, and won one of four matches in the Grandview College Tournament.

They started their week of traveling to Northwestern on Wednesday, were they lost the match 30-12, 30-12, 30-16. Junior Tara Adamson led the team with four kills and two solo blocks.

“We couldn’t counter their attack,” Lancer coach Tracy Grotenhuis said. “ We need to improve on defense so that we can put ourselves in position to counter.”

The Lancers (6-17, 1-11 GPAC) traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to participate in a tournament at Grandview College. The Lancers participated in five matches throughout the course of the tournament.

They started off against Grandview College and won the match 30-14, 30-16,30-18. Adamson again led her team by posting ten kills, one solo block, and seven digs.

“We were able to keep our errors down to a minimum,” Grotenhuis said. “Sometimes its hard not to play down to a team’s level and we avoided that with consistent play.”

In their second game of the tournament, the Lancers lost to Mayville State University (ND) 30-26,30-23,30-27.

Adamson was once again the Lancers main source of point production with ten kills and nine blocks. Junior Emily Rasmussen added five kills, five ace serves, and five blocks.

The Lancers were unable to rebound as they dropped their match against Region III opponent Jamestown College (ND) 30-20, 30-16, 30-23.

The Lancers had a difficult time with keeping possession of the lead. They were ahead in all three games, but could not hold it towards the end.

“We just weren’t able to make the big plays at the end of each game,” Grotenhuis said.

In the final game of the tournament, The Lancers squared off against Great Plains Athletic Conference opponent Midland Lutheran University (Neb.).

In the match the Lancers were able to win the first game 30-13, but ended up losing the match 13-30,30-25,30-20,30-26.

“We had a very impressive first game. We were able to shut down their hitters,” Grotenhuis said. “Those hitters have been a big part of their offense. They hurt us throughout the match.”

The Lancers have two matches this week. This starts with a road trip to Dakota Wesleyan University on Tuesday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m. They also have a trip to Doane College Friday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Lancers of the Week- Week of October 8-15

MEN’S ATHLETICS:
Josh Christiansen
So., Forward
Viborg, SD
Christiansen scored the only two goals for his team Saturday against Hastings. He has three goals on the year.

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS:
Abby Hunhoff
Fr., Forward
Yankton, SD
Hunhoff put in the lone Lancer goal on Saturday versus Hastings. After an impressive battle, the girls lost 3-1.

Black Hills State Girls, Dickinson State Boys Win MMC Meet

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Black Hills State Yellow Jackets girls and the Dickinson State Hawks boys teams were able to win their respective team competitions.

Both teams relied on the consistency of their athletes in the Graphic Edge Mount Marty College Invitational Cross Country Meet at the Human Service Center track on Saturday morning.

The Yellow Jackets earned the top spot on the girls’ side thanks in part to top 12 individual finishes by their top four of their runners.

“We knew that there would be a lot of teams at this meet that we will face in Regionals,” Black Hills coach Scott Walkinshaw said. “This meet was important for us from a rankings standpoint.”

They were able to edge Concordia by two points in the end. The Yellow Jackets scored a 49, and Concordia finished with a 51.

Wendy O’Lexey led the Yellow Jackets by finishing third with an 18:19.77. She finished just seconds ahead of teammate Kerry Washburn who finished in sixth place with an18:32.57.

Alicia Verhulst finished in tenth place for the Yellow Jackets after running the course in 19:14.17. Shelli Scheffler finished in 12th place with a 19:18.81.

Dordt College’s Jen Kempers won the top spot in the individual race after defeating Northwestern College’s Charity Miles by only a fraction of a second.

Kempers was able to take advantage of her last wind to defeat Miles. She ran a 18:15.59 in comparison to Miles’s time which was 18:15.60.

“I was able to pick up some speed coming off of the bottom of the hill,” Kempers said. “I basically just threw myself at the finish line in hopes that I could win the race.”

BHSU’s O’Lexey finished in third followed Northwestern’s Olivia Johnson who finished with an 18:24.47. Dickinson State’s Rose Jepkirui finished in fifth place after running the course in 18:27.67.

The hosting Lancer girls did not have enough runners to place as a team. However they did have a couple of girls who were able to perform well in the misty conditions.

Megan O’Grady led the Lancer pack with a 41st place finish. She ran the course in a 20:31.12. Ashley Solem had one of her best performances on the season Saturday morning.

Britteny Willams and Amberle Zuerlin finished 142 and 145 respectively.

“We had a good meet today, but we are going to have to get our girls healthy for us to compete,” Lancer coach Dave Fischer said.

In the mens’ race, Dickinson State was able to earn the top finish by scoring 54 points. They edged Concordia who finished the men’s race with a 60.

Sergio Jimenez’s second place finish helped the Hawks to the victory. Jimenez was in third place for a majority of the game, but kicked it into an extra gear to overtake Iowa Western Community College’s Alfred Kite.

“Sergio is one of the most competitive athletes we have on our team,” Hawks coach Thadd O’Donnell said. “If you put him out their one-on-one he will work his hardest to come out on top.”

Jimenez finished ahead of Kite after running the course in 25:22.28. He was one of four Dickinson State runners who finished in the top 15.

“We have great depth. We have a lot of different guys who have finished in the top five in the last couple of meets.”

Iowa Western Community College’s David Barmasai had by far the best individual performance of the meet as he finished ahead of the second place Jimenez by nearly 30 seconds.

Barmasai set the pace in the mens’ race by running a 24:58.57. Kite finished in third with a 25:31.35.

Dakota State University’s Chris Heezen finished in fourth place with a 25:41.22. Concordia University’s David Goeglein rounded up the top five with a 25:49.40.

Overall, the Mount Marty Invitational turned out to be a gigantic success. Runners lined the course as far as the eye could see throughout a majority of both races.

“I am very happy with the way the meet turned out,” Fischer said. “There were an exceptional amount of teams that were all able to participate to the fullest.”

Lady Broncos Find a Way to Hold Off Lancers

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Hastings College Lady Broncos found a way to brave the dreary elements and hold off the Mount Marty Lancers 3-1.

The Broncos (8-3-1) ended a two game losing streak to improve to 6-2 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference on Saturday at Lewis and Clack Soccer Complex.

Hastings was able to dominate possession of the ball as they held it inside the Lancer zone for all but a few moments of the drizzle soaked game.

Zoe Cranmer, a sophomore forward from England, tallied the first goal of the game after she broke in alone in the box and beat Lancer goalie April Dolezal.

They added another goal only moments later in the first half when defenseman Jesse Herse gave them a 2-0 advantage.

The Broncos were able to add their final goal when Allison Kotschwar broke into the Lancer box and made a move on a defender to create an open net.

Kotschwar dropped the ball into the uncontested net with ease to make the score 3-0.

Mount Marty (2-11, 0-8) would attempt to rebound from the three goal deficit as freshman forward Abby Hunhoff was able to knock home a rebound that deflected off the Broncos goal keep.

Sophomore Lauren Donlin did what she could to develop the play as she dribbled the ball down through the right side and blasted a shot on net.

Hunhoff would not be denied the goal as she slid in on net and knocked the ball in while falling to the muddy turf.

Hastings won the game in convincing fashion, but Coach Ted Flogaites was not impressed with his team’s performance.

“I thought we had a poor performance this afternoon,” Flogaites said. “We simply did not play up to our potential.”

Despite having a little trouble finishing their scoring opportunities, the Broncos did find positives through the amount of time that they were able to posses the ball.

The Broncos athletes were also successful in getting into position when they did not have the ball. This helped to create more opportunities on offense.
On the other side, the Lancers were able to take a couple of positives away from their overall performance.

“We played good soccer today. We were a little scared of Hastings at the beginning of the game, but we were able to stop them a couple times and that helped to give us confidence,” Lancer coach Dan Hendricks said.

“We were able to produce a couple of opportunities and we were able to capitalize on one of them,” Hendricks added.

Despite falling 3-1, Hendricks still felt like his team “had one of their best games of the season.”

The Broncos will host Nebraska Wesleyan University on Wednesday, October 17 at 5:30 p.m. in their next contest.

The Lancers will take to the road to match up against the University of Sioux Falls on Tuesday, October 16 at 2:00 p.m.

#17 Broncos Deal Lancers Lop Sided Defeat

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Hastings College mens’ soccer team was able to score early and often on their way to defeating the Mount Marty Lancers 8-2 at Lewis and Clark Soccer Complex Saturday afternoon.

The Broncos (9-2-1, 7-1), who were rated number 17 in NAIA Mens’ Soccer and number one in Region III, were not shy in displaying their scoring abilities.

They were able to score seven of their eight goals in the first half. They scored their first three goals in the first 12 minutes of the match.

This started as junior forward Brian Steinert was able to knock in a picturesque crossing pass by Joel Pedroza.

Matt Quinlan, a senior from Omaha, Neb, gave the Broncos a 2-0 lead after he was able to head the ball past Lancer goal keep Chris Sullivan.

“Our guys came out with a lot of fire, ready to pick up a conference win,” Hastings coach Chris Kranjc said.

Pedroza added his second point of the game after he was on the receiving end of a crossing pass that he buried in the bottom left hand corner off the Lancer net.

Nedim Hasanbegovic, a junior forward from Sarajevo, Bosnia, scored the first of two goals to give the Broncos a 4-0 lead.

Freshman Chris Marquiss scored the next two Hastings goals to make the score 6-0.

Marquiss’s first goal came of a header after senior defender Mark Knust gave him a pass just in front of the Lancer box. His second goal was unassisted.

Garret Reynek added the next Bronco goal just before the end of the first half to give them a 7-0 lead at half-time.

“We were able to finish our opportunities early. This helped us to play well throughout a majority of the contest,” Kranjc added.

After a more than discouraging first half, the Lancers (2-10-1, 0-8) were able to produce a solid second half by scoring two goals and only allowing one.

“We came out a little scared against a prestigious program, but we were able to do much better after we settled down,” Lancer coach Dan Hendricks said.

Sophomore midfielder Josh Christiansen scored both Lancer goals in the half.

The first goal came off a rocket shot just outside the Hastings box. Christiansen was able to make a move and find a window to sneak the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

He was able to head his second goal in net after jumping up to get a crossing pass from the left corner of the field.

Christiansen, who had never played soccer until the beginning of this season, is making an impact on a shorthanded Lancer team. He has three goals on the year.

“We played well in the second half. We were able to outscore Hastings in the half and that helped to give us a little confidence.”

The Broncos were able to tally the final goal of the game when Hasanbegovic was able to move the ball past the Lancers defense and beat Sullivan to make the score 8-2.

The Broncos will host Nebraska Wesleyan University on Wednesday, October 17 at 7:30. The Lancers will travel to Sioux Falls to play against the University of Sioux Falls on Tuesday, October 16 at 4:00 pm.

Lancers of the Week- Week of October 8-15

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS:
Kerry McDonald
Fr., S
Parker, SD
After the Lancers starting setter (Abby Haiar) injured her ankle, McDonald was forced to take charge of the role for the majority of two matches.

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS:
Kate Carda
So., Outside Hitter
Tea, SD
Carda was a solid performer throughout the week as she posted eight or more kills in each of the Lancers three matches. She ended the day with a total of 28 kills.

VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY REVIEW: Lancers Drop Two, Pick Up Much Needed Win Against Dana

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers continued Great Plains Athletic Conference play throughout the week with matches against Morningside College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, and Dana College.

The Lancers began their week against the upper escialon of the GPAC in the form of Morningside College. The Lancers traveled to Sioux City on Wednesday night to battle the top ranked team in their conference.

The Lady Mustangs(19-1, 8-1), who came in ranked 11th amongst NAIA Division II teams, made quick work of the Lancers defeating them 30-23, 30-6, 30-14.

Sophomore Kate Carda led all Lancer attackers with eight kills. Junior Tara Adamson was able to add seven kills, nine defensive digs, and one solo block.

The Lancers fell victim to injury on the final point of the first game when junior Abby Haiar sprained her ankle trying to make a play on the ball.

She would not be able to return for the remainder of the match and freshman Kerry McDonald was thrust into the action.

“After Abby went down with her injury, our girls just seemed to lose confidence,” Lancer coach Tracy Grotenhuis said. “We had to thrust Kerry into a tough position, but she did the best she could while in the match.”

On Friday, the Lancer women played host to Nebraska Wesleyan (9-7, 3-5) and fell 30-19, 30-20, 30-12. The Lancers were forced to play without Haiar who was unable to play in the match.

Carda again had a strong match as she led the Lancers with eight kills. She also added a blocking assist in the match.

Senior Laura Starman also had a quality match as she posted six kills, two defensive digs, one solo block, and one blocking assist. McDonald had 20 set assists and five defensive digs as Haiar’s replacement.

“It was difficult for our hitters to connect with Kerry, but once they did, their confidence in her began to build as the match progressed,” Grotenhuis said.

On Parent’s day, the Lancers used Haiar’s return from in to the lineup to spark a five game match victory against Dana College. The Lancers were able to put together a match victory by the score of 32-23, 18-30, 20-30, 30-26, 15-10.

Haiar had six kills to go along with 23 set assists, and one defensive dig. She was able to feed Tara Adamson who posted 15 kills, two ace serves, 13 defensive digs, and two blocking assists.

“Everyone had to jump in and play their part to help us get the win, “Grotenhuis said. “This match victory was very important our team because it has shown how much we have improved throughout the year.

The Lancers had lost their previous two matches against Dana, but found a way to ensure that they would not be defeated on Saturday.

The Lancers will match up against Northwestern College (17-7, 5-3) who are currently seeded fourth in the GPAC on Wednesday, Oct. 10.

They will also travel to Des Moines, Iowa to participate in a tournament at Grandview College on Friday, Oct. 12 and 13.

CROSS COUNTRY WEEKLY REVIEW: Lancers Hit Speed Bumps at Briar Cliff Meet

BY SCOTT MORRISON

Heading into the Briar Cliff Invitational Cross Country Meet, the Lancers knew that a strong performance would go along way in preparing them for their only home meet of the season.

Unfortunately the Lancers ran into a number of difficulties that prevented them having a productive meet.

This began as junior Jessica Albers, who had been improving her time minute-by-minute, pulled a muscle prior to the begging of the race and was unable to participate in the race.

Sophomore Megan O’ Grady was the first Lancer to pass the finish line, but do to a touch of the flue she was forced to stop to catch her breath on multiple occasions.

This hurt O’Grady’ standing as she was forced to deal with a 21:03, the slowest time of her 2007 season giving her a 32nd place finish.

“Today was not our best day of the season,” Lancers coach Randy Fischer said. “We had some injuries and some girls sick.”

Sophomor Ashley Solem finished in 113th place with a time of 26:51. Britteny Williams did her best to run along side of Solem and finished in 114th place with a time of 27:41.

“Solem has not had many opportunities to train with the team,” Fischer said. “For her to come out and run smart was key to her individual progress which has bee improving throught the year.”

Amber Le Zuerlin ran in her first collegiate finishing 119 with a time of 28:38.

“We are all happy with the way that Amber Le came out ready to run,” Fischer said. “I think all she needs to do is to learn to run smart and to make improvements down the road,”

The Lancers will participate as the host team in their only home cross country meet of the season. The Mount Marty College Graphic Edge Cross Country Invitational will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Human Services Center course on Saturday Oct. 15.

In order to achieve success amongst the strong varieties of runners that will be involved in the meet, the Lancers must be able to rest their runners and prepare to improve on last week’s performance.

Lancers of the Week- Week of October 1-8

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS:
Megan O’Grady
So.
Tyndall, SD
O’Grady finished in tenth place for the Lancers running the Dakota State Cross Country course in 19:24.82. Her time helped the Lancers to a sixth place overall finish in the meet.

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS:
Jessica Albers
Jr.
Yankton, SD
Albers finished in 31st place in the Dakota State meet after running a 22:13.18. Her season has seen nothing but improvement as she had shaved almost ten minutes of her time from last year.

CROSS CROUNTRY WEEKLY REVIEW: Lancers Finish Sixth at DSU Meet

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers went into Madison with their eyes set squarely on competing at the Dakota State University Cross Country Meet last Saturday.

They were able to do this along with much more as all four Lancer runners were able to make improvements on their individual course times.

The Lancers scored a 149 in the meet as they finished 15 points ahead of Dakota Wesleyan University, who finished in the seventh and final spot with a 164.

“We had a solid finish at the DSU meet,” Lancer coach Dave Fisher said. “Our girls had a good feel for running against some good competition.”

Improvement was the highlight of the meet for the Lancers as all four runners were able to shave seconds and even minutes of their season and career bests.

This started with sophomore Megan O’Grady who finished the meet in a team best tenth place with a time of 19:24.82.

O’Grady’s performance was strong enough to set a personal best time. In the two short years, O’Grady has been able progress step-by-step as she makes her way to the front of the Great Plains Athletic Conference pack.

Junior runner Jessica Albers also had a solid finish as she ended up in 31st place after running the course in 22:13.18.

Albers has improved her performance by nearly ten minutes from a season ago. The hard work and dedication has that she has put in has made Albers one the Lancers most competitive runners.

“Jessica has improved drastically in every meet,” Fisher said. “She was under the weather a little on Saturday, but was still able to improve on her time.”

Sophomore Ashley Solem was able to do her part to help the Lancers to their sixth place finish as she ran the course with a time of 24:58.18.

Her time was good enough to earn her a 48th place finish.

Finishing the meet for the Lancers was senior Britteny Williams. Williams ran a 25:20.41 which helped her to a 50th place finish.

Williams time was nearly four minutes faster than her last performance at the South Dakota State Cross Country Invitational Meet.

“Overall we have a nice thing in the making,” Fisher said. “We need to continue to train hard and keep trying to move up in the pack.”

The Lancers will travel to Sioux City, Iowa to compete in the Briar Cliff University Invitational Cross Country Meet on Saturday Oct. 6 at 10:00 am.

Lancers of the Week- Week of September 24-31

MEN’S ATHLETICS:
Josh Christiansen
Fr., Forward
Viborg, SD
Christiansen, who is participating in his fist year of competitive soccer, scored the first goal of his career against Northwestern College on Wednesday.

WOMEN’S ATHLETICS:
Tara Adamson
Jr., Middle Back
Centerville, SD
Adamson had two dominant performances last week against the University of Sioux Falls and Presentation College. Adamson had 29 kills, one ace serve, and 16 defensive digs.

VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY REVIEW: Lancers Look to Carry Momentum

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers volleyball team looks to build on the momentum that they created for themselves after matching up against the University of Sioux Falls and Presentation College.

Coming into their match against Sioux Falls on Wednesday, the Lancers knew they would have to battle to compete with the upstart Cougars.

Unfortunately, the Lancers where unable to overcome Sioux Falls as the Lady Cougars won the match 22-30, 30-25, 20-23, 30-27.

Despite experiencing a match loss at home to Sioux Falls, the Lancers (4-8, 0-4 GPAC) were able to put together one of the best games of their young season in the first game.

This became evident throughout the first game as the Lancers were able to score at will on their way to a 30-22 victory.

This would carry over to the second game, but Sioux Falls was able to take control of the match after claiming the lead for the first time midway through the game. The Lady Cougars were able to finish on top 30-25.

“Our momentum carried over into the second game, but we had a couple missed serves that hurt us down the stretch,” Lancers coach Tracy Grotenhuis said.

The Cougars ability to steal the momentum in the second game proved costly for the Lancers as they were never able to fully recover until it was too late.

“The key to our team’s success in the second game was gaining control of the flow of the ball,” Sioux Falls coach Lisa Mathes said.

Leading the way for the Lancers was Tara Adamson who posted 17 kills, two set assists, seven defensive digs, and five block assists.

The Lancers used their weekend to travel to Presentation College in Aberdeen.

Against Presentation, the Lancers where able to show their potential ability as they swept their opponents 30-27, 30-12, 30-27.

“Traveling such a long ways is always a challenge,” Grontenhuis said. “Anytime you are able to travel three and a half hours and get a win you can feel like you’ve earned something.”

Tara Adamson ensured that she had a solid ending to a terrific week as she posted 12 kills, one ace serve, and nine defensive digs.

Kate Carda had another solid game as she added ten kills, one ace serve, and two blocks. Krista Hohn and Abby Haiar each added eight kills.

The Lancers will continue conference play as they host Briar Cliff University on Wednesday. They will finish their weekend off on the road against Hastings College and Concordia University.

WOMEN’S SOCCER WEEKLY REVIEW: Lancers Struggle Through Conference Play

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers (2-6) have struggled throughout the year with getting out to a quick start.

This week was no exception as they dropped all three games to Northwestern College, Dana College, and Buena Vista University.

The Lancers hosted Northwestern on Wednesday, Sept. 18 and lost 6-0 after giving up three goals in the first eight minutes of the game.

“We get down early and then we have to battle back,” Lancers coach Hendricks said. “We do a good job of holding our opponents after they have already scored.”

The Lancers gave up the final three goals interchangeably throughout the contest.

“We had trouble excelling in one area against Northwestern,” Hendricks said. “Anytime you are unable to excel in one or more areas, it makes it difficult to put a lot of pressure on the opposing team,”

The Lancers continued their week on Saturday Sept. 22 in Blair, Neb against Great Plains Athletic Conference opponent Dana College.

Dana struck early and often against the as they notched two goals in the first two minutes. They notched four more throughout the game’s entirety and ended the game with a 6-0 victory.

“In almost every single game that we have lost, we have allowed goals within the first ten minutes of play,” Hendricks added.

The Lancers finished their weekend against Buena Vista University with perhaps the best performance in the first half of their young season.

They jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead as Carolyn Lovell notched a goal five minutes into the start of the game.

“Carolyn’s goal really jump started our team in the first half. She set the tone for the remainder of the game,” Hendricks said.

Lauren Donlin added a goal and the Lancers went up 2-0 to start the game. Buena Vista answered back to make the score 2-2 at halftime.

Buena Vista took control of the game in the second half as the notched three goals thanks in part to the injury of Lancers’ sweeper Laura Condon. They dropped the game 5-2.

“We had a great first half,” Hendricks said. “In the second half we had a couple injuries and depth caught up with us a little bit.”

The Lady Lancers will face Briar Cliff University on Wednesday and Doane College on Saturday.

MEN’S SOCCER WEEKLY REVIEW: Lancers Struggle Against Conference Foes

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers had a difficult week after they dropped games to Northwestern College, Dana College, and Buena Vista University.

On Tuesday, Sept. 18, the Lancers played host to preseason Great Plains Athletic Conference number two seed Northwestern College.

The Lancers, who were trailing 0-1 at halftime, could not contend with Northwestern’s team speed and lost the game 6-2.

For the Lancers (2-5-1), Josh Christiansen scored his first career goal off a corner kick in the second half. Senior co-captain Cesar Jaurez added the team’s other goal.

“Everyone was excited that Josh was able to pick up his first goal,” Lancers coach Dan Hendricks said.” “

Northwestern would put the game out of reach as they would be able to take advantage of a Lancer breakdown throughout the beginning portion of the second half.

“We played 60 minutes of good soccer,” Hendricks said. “We just need to learn to put 90 minutes and we will be fine.”

After dropping their game to Northwestern, they traveled to Blair, Neb. to face off against Dana in another conference battle.

At Dana, the Lancers experienced their toughest loss of the season as they fell 11-0.

Dana got off to a quick start by scoring two goals in the first two minutes. The Lancers would never recover.

“We just quit, we completely shutdown,” Hendricks said. “We lost a lot a confidence and after that it was hard to come back.”

The Lancers finished their weekend against Buena Vista University. They lost the contest 3-0 after a hard fought contest.

The game was even at 0-0 at halftime, but Buena Vista scored all three of their goals in twelve minutes after the start of the second half.

“It seems that after we give up the first goal we lose momentum and things go down hill from there,” Hendricks said. “We need to work on not panicking and limiting consecutive goals.”

The Lancers will have another tough week ahead of them as they will host Briar Cliff University on Wednesday and Doane college on Saturday.

Hypnotist Keith Karkut Entertains

Hypnotist Keith Karkut visited the MMC campus on Tuesday, the 18th, and offered some amusing entertainment to the crowd of students.

Kolby Cruise, Jareth Kaup, and David Mueller perform as the boys from NSYNC.

Watch out below! Julia Matthys and Becky Sedivy act as if they are riding the world's scariest roller coaster.

Photos by Theresa Condon

Celebrate MMC's Namesake, Bishop Martin Marty, Today

On September 19, we remember and celebrate Bishop Martin Marty for whom Mount Marty College and Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel are named. This Swiss Benedictine monk was born in Switzerland in 1834 and came to Yankton in 1876, several years before the Dakotas achieved statehood. He arrived in the Territory in response to a call for missionaries to serve the Native Americans. He received the name of “Blackrobe Lean Chief.”

Bishop Martin Marty valued education and convinced the Benedictine Sisters who had come from Switzerland to Missouri, to come to the Dakotas to assist him in providing educational opportunities in the area. His residence in Yankton is the current “Marty House,” located on the south side of the Monastery. Bishop Marty became the first bishop of the Sioux Falls Diocese.

To celebrate the day and acknowledge the importance of Bishop Martin Marty, there will be table tents in the Roncalli Dining Room and Cyber Café with information about Bishop Marty . There will also be M & M's in the main Dining Room at noon for you to “build your own cookie” (MMC - Martin Marty Cookies) as the dessert of the day. Enjoy!

At noon Dr. Barry, President of MMC will share a few words about Martin Marty and his importance to our college.

Cross Country Weekly Review: Lancers Travel to SDSU Meet

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancer Girls’ Cross Country team used their past Saturday to travel to Brookings to participate in the South Dakota State University Invitational Cross Country Meet.

The Lancers took four girls who were able to participate reasonably well given the lack of numbers.

Sophomore Megan O’ Grady led the Lancer pack as she finished 53rd in the meet with a time of 20:19.

Jessica Albers also made a strong showing as she earned a 22:40 time and finishing in 98th place.

Also running for the Lancers was senior Britteny Williams and sophomore Ashley Solem. Solem narrowly edged Williams as she finished with a 25:34 in 118th place. Williams finished in 119th place after a run of 27:40.

The Lancers will run together again on Saturday, Sept. 28 in Madison at the Dakota State University Invitational Cross Country Meet.

Soccer Weekly Review: Both Teams Suffer Minor Setbacks After Rough Weekend

BY SCOTT MORRISON

After a surprising start to the 2007 season, the Lancers soccer program suffered a couple of minor setbacks after facing conference opponent Midland Lutheran University and non-conference challenger the University of Wisconsin Superior.

The men's team was beaten for the first time this season on Saturday after losing to Midland Lutheran 3-0. Midland Lutheran came into the game ranked second in their region.

The Lancers were unable to move the ball with much authority as they were shutout for the first team in the young season.

Midland Lutheran broke a 60 minute scoreless tie with a goal on a free kick from about 30 yards outside of the keeper’s box. They would later add another goal off a free kick, and finished by scoring the final goal to make the score 3-0.

“Obviously the first loss of the season is disappointing,” Lancer Coach Dan Hendricks said. “We know we can play at this team’s level but we were not able to play for 90 minutes.”

On Sunday, the Lancers (2-2-1) were unable to rebound as they were defeated 4-1 by the University of Wisconsin Superior.

Blain Williams knocked in the Lancer’s only goal on a corner kick to make the score 2-1. Wisconsin rebounded by adding two goals and placing the game securely out of reach.

“It was nice that Blain scored that goal from the corner. We had been working on our set pieces all week and it paid off,” Hendricks said. “Unfortunately we were unable to capitalize to a further degree.”

The Lancers found themselves breathing hard and struggling to get up and down the field as they had just played their previous game the day before.

“We had a little letdown against UW-Superior. Two games in two days is very tough on the players,” Hendricks added.

On the girls’ side, the Lancers (2-3) were equally unsuccessful in their attempt to improve on their solid start. They dropped their games against Midland and UW-Superior 6-1 and 4-1 respectively.

In their game against Midland, the Lancers learned that their goal keeper Nickie O’ Day would be out for the season due to a rib injury.

Midland was able to add insult to injury as they compounded six goals against the Lancer defense. Leann Franzel scored her team’s only goal as the Lancers narrowly avoided the shutout.

Against UW-Superior, the Lancers had another difficult game as they were overcome after a sloppy performance.

Lauren Donlin scored her team’s only goal giving her seven on the season.

“Having to replace our goaltender has been no easy task,” Hendricks said. “We took out our best defender to be our goalie. This has not worked out extremely well as opposing teams had been able to take advantage of the increased amount of opportunities that we have given them.”

“Everyone is going to have to work harder in practice and in games to make up for the loss,” Hendricks said. “We have to work on little things or we will not be able to be successful.”

Both the men and women will resume play this week as they square off against Dana College and Buena Vista University on Saturday, Sept. 22 and Sunday, Sept. 23.

Volleyball Weekly Review: Lancers Drop Conference Match, Win Against UM-Morris

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers lost a tough battle to conference opponent Dakota Wesleyan University on Wednesday, but countered with a road victory against non-conference foe the University of Minnesota-Morris on Saturday afternoon.

The Lancers (3-7) were finally able to play in their long awaited second home match of the season of the past week, but unfortunately they ran into an elusive Dakota Wesleyan squad (2-7).

They dropped their match against DWU 22-30, 29-31, 28-30. The Lancers found themselves in the middle recurring maize that put them continually at odds throughout the begging of each game.

“We definitely walked away a little disappointed from that match,” Lancers coach Tracy Grotenhuis said. “We played hard but lacked an overall consistency that kept us from getting over the top in the match.”

They fell behind early in each game and despite constant pressure they were never able to recover.

“We got down early in each game and we battled back, but it was too late,” Grotenhuis added.

Junior Abby Haiar and freshman Krista Hohn led the Lancers with seven kills each. Haiar added 26 set assists, one ace serve, and nine defensive digs.

On Saturday, the Lancers were able to build up some momentum as they defeated UM-Morris 29-31, 30-21, 30-24, 27-30, 15-13 in Sioux Falls.

“The UM-Morris match was exciting for us because we were able to play a non-conference match against an unknown program,” Grotenhuis said.

The Lancers were led by their upperclassman, all of which had a strong statistical match. Junior Emily Rasmussen was the Lancers leader as she posted 18 kills.

Abby Haiar and Tara Adamson were not far behind as they each added 16 kills. Adamson added four ace serves and 12 defensive digs in her team’s victory.

“We played well and had some younger players step up to help us win the drawn-out match,” Grotenhuis said.

The Lancers will host the University of Sioux Falls on Wednesday, Sept. 19. They will travel to Aberdeen on Saturday, Sept. 22 to play Presentation College.