No. 12 Men's Volleyball Upsets No. 4 Grand View in Four Games on the Road

Des Moines, Iowa, (March 23, 2024)- The No. 12 Missouri Valley College men's volleyball team traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday afternoon for a Heart of America Athletic Conference match against No. 4 Grand View (Iowa). The Vikings fell behind early, but won the match by scores of 20-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-23. We last defeated Grand View on Feb. 23, 2016 in a 3-0 sweep.

The first game started with the teams trading points through an 8-8 score. Senior Middle Blocker Daniel Isernhagen (Curitiba, Brazil) totaled two kills, and Freshman Outside Hitter Andrey Bastos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Sophomore Right Side Luca Hasse (Paderborn, Germany) each added one kill during the stretch of play. Grand View went in front, winning six-straight points to make it a 14-9 score. Missouri Valley answered back winning eight of the next nine points, where Sophomore Right Side Samuel Essilfie (Tema, Ghana) had back-to-back kills, and Isernhagen and Hasse had two kills each to tie the game at 15-15. The MVC Vikings used two errors by GVU to tie the game, 18-18, but Grand View won four-straight points to extend their lead and then take the opener, 25-20.

Missouri Valley took control of game two from the start, as Hasse added two kills and Essilfie had back-to-back kills, making it a 6-3 score. MVC eventually held a 13-7 lead, where the Vikings used three errors by Grand View, and a kill from Isernhagen, who also teamed up with Junior Setter Lucas Rodrigues (Balnelariu Cambriu, Brazil) on a block. Missouri Valley built up a 19-12 advantage as Rodrigues and Bastos each had one kill and Hasse put down two kills. Grand View tried to cut into their deficit taking three-straight points, but MVC won six of the next eight points to end game two, 25-17, and tie the contest 1-1 in games.

The third game opened with Grand View taking a 3-0 lead. MVC used a few errors by GVU and a kill each from Hasse, Essilfie and Bastos to tie the game, 6-6. Missouri Valley went in front with a kill from Rodrigues, 9-7, and then both teams traded points through the next stretch of play where Grand View tied the game at 13-13. The MVC Vikings gradually built up the gap from there, as GVU had three errors, Hasse added a kill, and Essilfie had another kill, who also teamed up with Isernhagen on a block to make it a 19-15 score. Grand View responded by taking four of the next seven points to tie the game, 22-22, but Missouri Valley used two GVU errors and a kill from Bastos to win game three, and give the Vikings a 2-1 advantage in the contest.

Another quick start for Missouri Valley helped the team take control early, as Bastos had back-to-back kills, and GVU had three errors and Hasse and Essilfie teamed up on a block to go in front, 7-4. The Vikings extended their lead taking five of the next seven points, where Isernhagen had a kill and a solo block, and Bastos totaled two kills making it a 13-7 score. The teams traded points through the next stretch of play and a kill each from Hasse, Essilfie and Bastos helped Missouri Valley stay ahead of Grand View, 18-13. GVU cut its deficit to 23-21 late in the game, but MVC Vikings used a kill from Essilfie, who also teamed up with Isernhagen on a block to finish out a 25-23 win in the game, and a 3-1 victory in the match.

Leading the team was Bastos with 16 kills and eight digs. Hasse followed with 12 kills and five digs, while Essilfie had 10 kills. Rodrigues led with 38 assists, two kills and 10 digs. Missouri Valley finished with nine total blocks in the match and 42 digs. 

The win moves Missouri Valley to 14-4 overall and 8-4 in the conference. Grand View drops to 16-4 on the season and 10-2 in the Heart.

Up next, the Vikings men's volleyball team will travel to Ottawa, Kan., for a non-conference match against Ottawa (Kan.) University, Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Box Score- Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.