Women's Volleyball Sweeps Two Opponents to Close Home Invitational

Marshall, Mo., (Aug. 30, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team finished play at the Viking Invitational inside the Burns Athletic Complex with two matches Saturday.  The opening match was a sweep of Paul Quinn (Texas), followed by a sweep of York (Neb.) to finish 4-0 on the weekend.

Play against Paul Quinn began with Missouri Valley gradually building up a lead in the first game.  Senior Outside Hitter Juliana Oliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Senior Middle Hitter Kinga Romanowicz (Krepiec, Poland) and Junior Right Side Alana Burton (Ogden, Iowa) each landed one kill to make it a 5-3 score.  Two more kills from Oliveira and another kill by Romanowicz stretched the advantage out to 10-6.  The two teams traded points through a stretch of play in the game, until one ace from Romanowicz and one kill from Sophomore Right Side Harper Herring (Orange Park, Fla.) put the lead at 16-10.  The Vikings began to pull away late in the game, winning five of six points, as four PQC errors and one kill from Romanowicz made it 22-15.  Paul Quinn responded, and chipped its deficit away, winning eight of nine points to pull the teams even at 23-23.  Missouri Valley bounced back and used two kills from Freshman Outside Hitter Rylee Adams (Odessa, Mo.) to secure game one, 25-23.

The teams traded points to open the second game, as Sophomore Setter Kellen Fitzgerald (Frisco, Texas) landed a pair of aces, and both Romanowicz and Adams had one kill apiece to help MVC stay in front, 6-5.  Five of the next six points were won by the Vikings as all points were from Paul Quinn errors, stretching the lead to 11-6.  A five-point run for Missouri Valley featured another ace from Fitzgerald, a block by Oliveira and Romanowicz, along with one kill from Oliveira to put the team ahead, 16-7.  The lead reached double-digits after another kill from Oliveira and an ace by Freshman Outside Hitter Maddie Johnson (Chicago, Ill.), to make it a 19-8 score.  The Vikings closed out the game by winning six of the final seven points, including one kill each from Adams, Herring, and Senior Middle Blocker Jisell Chumacero (Denver, Colo.) to secure a 25-10 win.  Paul Quinn was limited to a -.125 hitting percentage in the game.

Needing a win in the third game to extend the match, Paul Quinn briefly went in front at 5-4, then again at 10-9.  Missouri Valley responded and used a kill from Adams and four PQC errors to eventually sit in front, 15-13.  Paul Quinn came back with three-straight points to move ahead, 16-15, and the teams were tied at 17-17 before MVC began to pull away.  An ace from Freshman Libero Emily Elias (Fulton, Mo.), followed by a block from Oliveira and Romanowicz opened up a 20-17 advantage.  Two more kills from Oliveira and another kill by Romanowicz made it a 23-18 score, and one final kill from Sophomore Outside Hitter Olivia Randolph (Columbia, Mo.) helped close out a 25-20 win in the game, and a sweep in the match.

Oliveira led with 11 kills, while Adams totaled eight kills and eight digs.  Romanowicz added six kills on a .417 percentage.  Fitzgerald had 18 assists, six digs and three aces, while Elias led with 10 digs.  Missouri Valley finished with six aces and limited Paul Quinn to a .010 hitting percentage in the contest.

Missouri Valley fell into an early deficit in the first game against York, at a 6-3 score.  The Vikings used two kills from Burton and one kill from both Randolph and Junior Outside Hitter Renata Pereira (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) to chip the deficit down to 9-8.  York answered, and sat in front, 11-8, but MVC followed with a run.  Two York errors and one kill from both Herring and Oliveira started a ten-point run for Missouri Valley.  Herring had one more kill and Burton put down a block, while Adams landed an ace and Oliveira ended the stretch with one kill to help the team build an 18-11 lead.  York responded and gradually reduced its deficit late in the game, to 22-20.  Pereira helped keep MVC on top with one kill to reach game-point, and Randolph sealed a win in the game with a kill, 25-21.

York again jumped in front early in the second game, winning five of the first six points, and eventually making it an 8-3 score.  The Vikings answered by taking five of the next six points, as Junior Setter Clarissa Dias (Praia Grande, Brazil) put down an ace, Pereira and Harper added one kill each and Burton finished off a block to send the team in front, 9-8.  A five-point run for MVC came midway through the game, on five York errors, including a block from Romanowicz and Randolph to keep Missouri Valley ahead, 15-14.  York won the next three points, to reclaim the lead at 17-15, but the Vikings came back with another run.  Six-straight points included two kills from Pereira and one kill by Randolph to give MVC a 21-17 advantage.  Then, three-straight YC errors made it game-point, while one final kill from Pereira ended the game at 25-21 to give Missouri Valley a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Vikings fell into another early deficit at the start of the third game, as York led, 9-4.  Two-straight Burton blocks, followed by one kill each from Herring, Romanowicz and Oliveira helped MVC win six of seven points and tie the game at 10-10.  Missouri Valley moved ahead at 12-11 on an Oliveira kill, then gradually increased the advantage to 17-13 on another Oliveira kill and one kill from both Romanowicz and Adams, while Senior Middle Hitter Patrisiya Uzoma (Moscow, Russia) finished off a block.  The Vikings pulled away late, taking six of seven points as Herring had two kills, and both Adams and Uzoma added one kill to make it a 23-16 score.  Randolph moved the team to match-point with the final kill of the game for MVC, and an ace by Johnson closed out a 25-20 win for the sweep.

Oliveira led with 10 kills and added four digs.  Pereira had seven kills and Herring finished with six kills.  Dias led with 11 assists and Senior Setter Avery Crain (Shell Knob, Mo.) had 10 assists.  Adams led with 11 digs.  Missouri Valley totaled seven blocks and seven aces as a team. 

On day one of the event, Missouri Valley swept Central Baptist (Ark.) by scores of 25-23, 25-20, 25-15, followed by a four-game win over Columbia (Mo.), 25-19, 16-25, 25-20, 25-17.  Columbia entered the match in the "others receiving votes" category of the NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, and was the program's first win over Columbia since 1993.

The Vikings move to 4-4 on the season with the four wins this weekend.

Up next, the Viking women's volleyball team will open play in the Heart of America Athletic Conference with road matches next week.  The first contest will be Friday at 7 p.m., in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, against Mount Mercy (Iowa).  Saturday, is a trip to Dubuque, Iowa, to play Clarke (Iowa) in a 3 p.m., match.

Paul Quinn Box Score-Click Here

York 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.