by Logan Gilman

First-year Volleyball Coach Krystal Ehn had a lot on the line Tuesday night, Sept. 29, as the Mustang volleyball team had its first home game of the season. The game was also against the Collins-Maxwell Baxter Raiders, Ehn’s former school. Ehn was an assistant coach for the Raiders just one season ago, before coming to PCM to take the head coaching job. With an electric crowd and intense game, the Mustang girls got the job done, and Ehn prevailed over her previous team, winning in five sets: 22-25, 25-12, 27-25, 22-25 and finally finishing them off with a 15-12 victory in the final set.
As the crowd erupted, the teams shook hands, and Ehn won her first home game as the Mustang head coach.
Ehn said, “Since the beginning of our season, the girls and I had been looking forward to the match against CMB. The players wanted to prove that they are a team to be reckoned with on the court. Being able to beat them at our first home match of the season was amazing.”
Freshman Maddie Samson had a huge night, leading the team with 10 kills, and she was also 17-20 on serves. Junior Kayla Jennings was 23-25 on serves and also led the team in assists with 25. Jennings also led the team in blocks with 10. Senior leader Ashley Van Gorp totaled nine digs on the night, while sophomore Olivia Lippman and freshman Avery Stock each had six. Van Gorp and Jennings each had five aces in the contest, as well.
Ehn also said, “The girls have been working very hard to play as a ‘we’ and not a ‘me’ on the court. They’ve been stepping up their game play through improving their serving, blocking, coverage and hitting. In the fifth set, they dug deep and performed on the court with outstanding skills to secure the win.”