Vollertsen reaches 1,000 points in season-opening win

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The opening game of the 2025-26 season for the Morningside women's basketball team was a celebratory one. Not only did the Mustangs start the season with a 90-45 win over Mount Mercy, but senior center Lily Vollertsen reached the 1,000-point milestone.

She did so with a 3-pointer during the second quarter, and while she admitted there were nerves, she wasn't afraid to let the ball fly.

"It shows that all that hard work paid off," Vollertsen said. "I think that was a great team win, and our young players really showed out, and I can't wait to get down to Kansas to play (next weekend)."

Vollertsen was the Mustangs' top scorer last year, and that trend carried over to Saturday. She led the Mustangs with 17 points on 7 of 18 shooting. She also hit two 3-pointers — both in the second quarter. She also led with nine rebounds.

"She's a difficult mismatch for anybody, and hopefully, during her senior year, we can have a lot of success," coach Jamie Sale said. "She's one of our best 3-point shooters, and you wouldn't think that with her being one of our tallest players. That's why she's so hard to match up with. At our level, it's hard to find kids who can do both."

Vollertsen played a role in the Mustangs jumping out to a 9-0 lead, and the Mustangs led wire-to-wire against Mount Mercy. Morningside led 25-8 after the first quarter, and held a 28-point cushion at halftime.

Thirteen different Mustangs scored in the win, including Clancy Brown and Sam Ehlers with 11 apiece. Kinsey Hall, Kaitlyn Freudenberg -- who hit a buzzer-beating layup to end the first half -- and Jordyn Carr all had four assists. Hall also had a block.

"We really worked on playing up-tempo, but we really pushed the ball and our young players played well, too," Sale said.