Men's Volleyball Falls to Lawrence Tech at National Tournament in Pool Play

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (May 1, 2025)- The No. 6 seed Missouri Valley College men's volleyball team played No. 3 seed Lawrence Tech (Mich.) in a Pool C match Thursday morning at the 2025 NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  The Vikings fell by scores of 17-25, 25-20, 20-25, 22-25.

The first game began with Missouri Valley taking control early, as Junior Opposite Luca Hasse (Paderborn, Germany) landed a pair of kills, Junior Opposite Samuel Essilfie (Tema, Ghana) added one kill and Freshman Setter Matheus Curi (Ribierao Preto, Brazil) finished off an ace to make it a 5-2 score.  Lawrence Tech responded, and won eight of the next nine points to put the Vikings in a 10-6 deficit.  The two teams traded the next several points, which featured one kill apiece from Senior Setter Lucas Rodrigues (Balnelariu Cambriu, Brazil), Sophomore Freshman Middle Blocker Martin Teserya (Salta, Argentina), Essilfie and Hasse to make it 14-11.  Three-straight points for MVC, including a block from Teseyra and Hasse, along with a Hasse ace put the team in a 15-14 deficit.  The Blue Devils again went on a run, outscoring Missouri Valley by a 10-3 margin through the rest of the game to finish the opener at 25-17.

Missouri Valley started the second game with two Hasse kills and four LTU errors to sit in front, 6-4.  Essilfie teamed up with Sophomore Middle Blocker Joao Tavares (Sao Paulo, Brazil) on a block, then added a kill to give the Vikings an 11-8 lead.  Missouri Valley won five of six points midway through the game, as Tavares and Sophomore Outside Hitter Pierro Porras (Lima, Peru) teamed up on a block, followed by two Tavares kills as the lead stretched to 18-11.  Missouri Valley maintained its advantage through the rest of the game.  Hasse put down three more kills, including the final kill to seal a 25-20 win, and tie the contest at 1-1 in games won.

Game three opened with Lawrence Tech taking control early, out to a 7-3 score.  Five of the next six points were won by Missouri Valley, as Porras, Tavares and Rodrigues teamed up on a block, followed by two kills by Porras and another kill from Hasse to tie the game at 9-9.  The Blue Devils answered with a run, taking seven of the next eight points to go in front, 16-10.  Essilfie landed an ace, while Teserya finished off one kill and the pair of Rodrigues and Tavares added a block, but the team trailed, 19-15.  Teseyra helped in a late three-point run for MVC, with one kill and two blocks, teaming up with Hasse and Essilfie, to try and work the team back.  However, Lawrence Tech closed out the third game with a 25-20 win to hold a 2-1 advantage in the contest.

Needing a win in the fourth game to extend the match, Missouri Valley gradually built up a lead.  Tavares and Hasse both had two kills, to go with one kill apiece from Freshman Outside Hitter Tymoteusz Zadeberny (Gliwice, Poland) and Teseyra.  The pair of Teseyra and Zadeberny teamed up on a block, and MVC sat on top, 9-5.  Another kill from Hasse helped stretch the lead out to 11-6.  Lawrence Tech chipped away at their deficit through the next stretch of play, and eventually moved in front, 16-15.  The Vikings responded with one kill from both Essilfie and Hasse to reclaim the advantage at 18-17.  The two teams traded points late in the game, as Tavares had two kills and Sophomore Outside Hitter Davi Azevedo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) had one kill to give MVC a 22-21 lead.  The Blue Devils responded, and won the final four points to close out a 25-22 score in the game, and win the match.

Hasse led with 17 kills to go with six digs.  Essilfie had 10 kills and nine digs.  Curi led with 22 assists and Rodrigues had 19 assists.  Missouri Valley totaled 14 blocks and three aces as a team.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 22-4 on the season, while Lawrence Tech improves to 27-3.

Missouri Valley finished with a 1-1 record in Pool C, which included a 19-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-12 win over No. 11 seed Georgetown (Ky.).  Tiebreaker games will be played to determine which team advances out of Pool C into the National semifinals.  The first tiebreaker game will be played Friday at 8 a.m., against Georgetown, and the winner will play another tiebreaker against Lawrence Tech.  The winner of the second tiebreaker game advances to the National semifinal match, which will be played Friday at 4 p.m.

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About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.