Bendlage inks letter with Mt. Mercy

Senior Mary Kate Bendlage (13) battles for a ball above the net with a Danville Bear Wednesday in Fort Madison. Holy Trinity won in three sets to advance to the Class 1A Region 8 semifinals Monday night.

Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

Mustang signing

There’s a legacy here, and knowing that legacy, I wanted to follow it. Mt. Mercy was a pretty easy decision. I attended a couple open gyms there this summer. Debbie and Jackson are very inviting. They run a similar program to ours so it won’t be that big of an adjustment. I look forward to the opportunities that will come.”

Mary Kate Bendlage, HTC senior

FORT MADISON – Mary Kate Bendlage has got a lot off her plate.
Most seniors thinking about graduation and college and life after high school have a lot on their plate, but the senior outside hitter for Holy Trinity just cleaned her plate by signing with Mt. Mercy University to play volleyball and continue her education.
Bendlage signed her national letter of intent with Mt. Mercy’s head coach Deb Marlin and the HTC student body in attendance Wednesday morning. The Crusader will be a pin hitter working from the outside for the Mustangs.
“They are taking me as a pin hitter. They train those on both sides of the pin so we’re ready for any given scenario,” Bendlage said.
“I visited quite a few other schools, but I didn’t attend any other open gyms other than Monmouth College.”
Bendlage has 266 kills on the year and she is just 13 short of 1,000 for her career at Holy Trinity. The senior has started 156 matches.
HTC Head Coach Melissa Freesmeier said Mt. Mercy is the right place for Bendlage.
“The most important thing is that she go to a place where she’s going to be successful and happy. I think Mt. Mercy is a great fit for her. It’s a great program and Coach Marlin is highly respected,” Freesmeier said.
“It didn’t surprise me. I’m excited for her and her future.”
Bendlage is a multi-sport athlete competing in basketball and volleyball for HTC, and in soccer in the shared program with Fort Madison High School. But she said volleyball is where her heart is.
“I had multiple offers and could have gone volleyball or basketball. But volleyball is No. 1 in my heart and my first love and it’s what this school is all about it,” she said.
“There’s a legacy here, and knowing that legacy, I wanted to follow it. Mt. Mercy was a pretty easy decision. I attended a couple open gyms there this summer. Debbie and Jaxson (Klosterman) are very inviting. They run a similar program to ours so it won’t be that big of an adjustment. I look forward to the opportunities that will come.”
She said the decision not only made her happy, but her family as well.
“They’ve always known I was a home body, so they figured I wouldn’t go too far. When I made the decision to commit it was a great relief that it was over. It’s done and I don’t need to worry about it anymore going forward.”
The Mustangs are 17-6 under coach Marlin this year and are currently 4^th in the Heart of America Conference.
The No. 3-ranked Crusaders (29-10) have advanced to the semifinals of Class 1A Region 8 district play and will host rival Burlington Notre Dame (26-14) Monday night at 7 p.m.