No. 5 Men's Volleyball Sweeps No. 4 Mount Mercy in Heart Semifinals

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (April 15, 2026)- The No. 5 Missouri Valley College men's volleyball team traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a Wednesday evening match against No. 4 Mount Mercy (Iowa) in the semifinal round of the Heart Postseason Championship.  The Vikings swept to a victory by scores of 26-24, 25-20, 25-19.

The two teams opened game one by splitting points through a 3-3 score.  Freshman Outside Hitter Loan Fargier (Bordeaux, France) and Junior Outside Hitter Frederico Baptista (Esmoriz, Portugal) each landed one kill in the early stretch.  Mount Mercy followed by taking four of the next five points to push ahead, 7-4.  One more kill from Fargier, along with one kill from Senior Opposite Luca Hasse (Paderborn, Germany) cut the MVC deficit down to 9-7.  The Mustangs again won four of five points to open up a 13-7 lead, and the two teams traded points until a 20-14 score late in the game.  Fargier and Hasse put down back-to-back kills, while a three-point run featured one kill and one ace from Hasse to put the team in a 22-20 deficit.  Junior Outside Hitter Andrey Bastos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) finished off one kill, but MMU eventually held game-point at 24-21.  The next four points were all won by the Vikings, off Mount Mercy errors.  Senior Middle Blocker Arthur Marteneli (Curitiba, Brazil) and Sophomore Setter Leonardo Goncalves (Ribierao Preto, Brazil) teamed up on a block, and MVC eventually held its first game-point, at 25-24.  The Vikings closed out a five-point run to win the opening game on a Fargier kill, ending at a 26-24 score.

Game two started with Missouri Valley gradually building up an early advantage.  Both Bastos and Hasse had two kills, while Marteneli landed one kill to help MVC sit on top, 7-3.  The Vikings won four of five points to extend advantage, as Bastos and Martneli teamed up on a block, and both Fargier and Junior Middle Blocker Joao Taveres (Parana, Brazil) landed one kill each through an 11-5 score.  Missouri Valley continued to pull away, helped by an ace from Sophomore Libero Bernardo Wolf Roese (Nova Petropolis, Brazil) and a block by Martneli and Hasse to keep the team in front, 19-10.  The Vikings continued to stay in front with one kill from Martineli and Fargier to go with a block by Hasse and Taveres as the team held game-point, 24-15.  The Mustangs tried to rally late, and won five-straight points, but a final MMU error ended the game at 25-20, and Missouri Valley held a 2-0 lead in the match.

Going for the sweep in game three, Hasse put down three early kills, and Fargier added one kill as MVC went on top, 5-2.  The teams traded the next several points, which included two kills from Bastos and Hasse, along with one kill from Fargier as the score sat at 13-11.  Mount Mercy then won three-straight points to pull ahead, 14-13.  Two-straight Mustang errors and a kill from Fargier put Missouri Valley back in front, 16-15.  The Vikings then won four-straight points off three MMU errors and one Fargier kill to make it a 20-16 score.  Another three-point run late in the game included one kill from Hasse and an ace by Wolf Roese as MVC reached game-point.  Bastos put down one final kill to end the game, 25-19, and the Vikings advanced to the tournament finals with the sweep.

Fargier had 12 kills, on a .579 hitting percentage, to go with seven digs.  Hasse totaled 12 kills and six digs.  Goncalves led with 33 assists, and added seven digs.  Missouri Valley hit at a .300 percentage in the match, totaled six blocks and put down five aces.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 23-4 on the season, while Mount Mercy drops to 22-4.  The Vikings swept the Mustangs in the regular season meeting, back on April 4 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Up next, the Viking men's volleyball team will play in the Heart Postseason Championship final, and go to Parkville, Mo., for a contest with No. 1 Park (Mo.) Saturday at 2 p.m.  Missouri Valley fell to the Pirates in both regular season contests.  The first loss came on Feb. 14, at home in four games, followed by a loss in four games at Park back on March 14.  This is the first appearance in the Heart Postseason Championship final for the program since 2018.

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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.