No. 5 Men's Volleyball Tops Kansas Wesleyan With Sweep on the Road

Salina, Kan., (Feb. 27, 2026)- The No. 5 Missouri Valley College men's volleyball team traveled to Salina, Kan., for a Heart of America Athletic Conference match with Kansas Wesleyan, Friday evening.  The Vikings swept the contest by scores of 25-17, 25-21, 25-8.

Game one started with Missouri Valley going in front early, using three KWU errors and a block from Sophomore Middle Blocker Martin Tseyera (Salta, Argentina) and Freshman Outside Hitter Bart Mulder (Hoogeveen, Netherlands) to make it a 4-1 score.  Teams traded points through the next stretch of play, and the Coyotes worked back to tie the game at 6-6.  Missouri Valley went in front, as Kansas Wesleyan had four errors and Mulder landed a kill to hold a 12-8 advantage.  The Vikings continued to extend their lead, winning five of the next seven points, featuring an ace from Freshman Outside Hitter Loan Fargier (France) and a kill from Junior Outside Hitter Pierro Porras (Lima, Peru), 16-10.  Both teams traded points through the next several points, but MVC continued to stay ahead as Mulder had a kill, and Senior Middle Blocker Arthur Martenelli (Curitiba, Brazil) and Fargier teamed up on a block to make it 21-16.  Missouri Valley closed out the game, taking the final four points, helped by an ace from Fargier, and Martenelli and Pierro teamed up on block and added a kill each to end a 25-17 win to go in front, 1-0, in the match.

Play in the second game started with teams trading points through a 5-5 score, which included three kills from Mulder.  The Coyotes eventually took the lead, winning four-straight points to hold a 9-5 advantage.  Missouri Valley used a kill each from both Mulder and Senior Opposite Luca Hasse (Paderborn, Germany), and two KWU errors to close the gap down, and MVC trailed 12-10.   The Vikings worked back to tie the game at 15-15, with kills from Mulder and Junior Outside Hitter Frederico Baptista (Esmoriz, Portugal).  MVC eventually took the lead winning five of the next six points, including three-straight Coyote errors, and a kill apiece from Porras and Hasse to put the score at 21-16.  Kansas Wesleyan won the next three points to cut into its deficit, but both Hasse and Martenelli added a kill each to send the team to game-point.  Freshman Outside Hitter Timothee Carpenter (Sao Paulo, Brazil) ended the game with a kill, as Missouri Valley won, 25-21, and moved to a 2-0 lead in the match.

Looking for a sweep in game three, the Vikings jumped in front early, as Baptista landed the first kill for MVC, and Hasse followed with another kill to make it a 3-2 score.  Missouri Valley went on a run taking nine of the next eleven points, including two kills from Freshman Setter Alberto Fontanabona and a kill each from both Hasse and Baptista to push the lead out to 12-5.  The Vikings continued to pull away, winning six-straight points, featuring a kill from Hasse, and a kill from Martenelli, who then teamed up on a block with Baptista to extend their advantage, 18-5.  Hasse added two more kills, while Baptista and Senior Middle Blocker Pedro Berti (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) had one kill apiece to make it a 22-7 score.  The Coyotes were unable to get to trim down their deficit, and MVC won the final three points, with two KWU errors and a final kill from Carpenter to win the third game, 25-8, to sweep the match.

Hasse led with 8 kills, on a .700 hitting percentage.  Mulder also added 8 kills, on a .615.  Baptista had five kills, while Martenelli finished with four kills. Fontanabona led with 13 assists, four digs and two kills, and Sophomore Libero Pietro Polidoro (Santo Andre, Brazil) had ten digs.  Missouri Valley finished with seven blocks, while hitting at a .353 percentage in the match. 

Missouri Valley improves to 11-1 on the season and 4-1 on the Heart, while Kansas Wesleyan drops to 2-7 overall and 0-7 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking men's volleyball team will travel to St. Louis, Mo., for a Heart of America Athletic Conference contest with UHSP (Mo.), Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here

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.