Women's Volleyball Suffers Road Loss to Mount Mercy

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (Sept. 5, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team opened conference play with a Heart of America Athletic Conference match in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, against Mount Mercy (Iowa).  The Vikings controlled the match early, but fell by scores of 30-28, 21-25, 21-25, 16-25.

Game one started with Missouri Valley going in front as Senior Middle Hitter Kinga Romanowicz (Krepiec, Poland) and Sophomore Outside Hitter Olivia Randolph (Columbia, Mo.) both put down one kill apiece to make it a 4-2 score.  Mount Mercy won three-straight points to go on top, 5-4, then the Mustangs began to increase its lead to 18-10.  The Vikings responded to work back into the game as Romanowicz landed four kills and Randolph added one kill to cut the deficit to 19-15.  Senior Outside Hitter Juliana Oliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) landed three-straight kills, and another kill by Randolph tied the score at 20-20.  The two teams traded points through the rest of the game.  The first game-point for MVC came at 24-23 on a kill from Oliveira, but MMU continued to tie the teams.  Missouri Valley eventually held six game-points, and one final kill from Oliveira gave the team a 30-28 win in the game.

Play in the second game opened with one kill from Romanowicz, two-straight aces by Sophomore Setter Kellen Fitzgerald (Frisco, Texas) and one kill by Oliveira to help put the Vikings ahead, 7-3.  A five-point run for MVC, featuring one kill from Fitzgerald, one ace by Romanowicz and a Randolph block stretched the advantage to 12-5.  The two teams traded points over the next stretch, which featured two kills from Randolph and aces by Romanowicz and Senior Setter Avery Crain (Shell Knob, Mo.) to keep Missouri Valley on top, 21-17.  Mount Mercy took over the game from there, winning eight-straight points to pull back in front and take the game, 25-21.

Missouri Valley fell into an early hole in the third game, as the Mustangs won four of the first five points.  Junior Outside Hitter Renata Pereira (Santa Cruz, Bolivia), Sophomore Right Side Harper Herring (Orange Park, Fla.) and Senior Middle Blocker Jisell Chumacero (Denver, Colo.) each put down one kill to tie the teams at 6-6.  Romanowicz and Oliveira teamed up on a block, and Oliveira finished off one kill as MVC trailed, 12-11.  Mount Mercy added to its lead from there, taking six of the next seven points to put the score at 18-12.  Missouri Valley came back to win six-straight points, as Randolph, Herring and Chumacero had one kill and Junior Setter Clarissa Dias (Praia Grande, Brazil) landed three aces to tie the game against, at 18-18.  A block from Chumacero kept the teams together at 20-20, but MMU pulled away from there, winning five of the final six points to take a 25-21 win in the game.

Needing a win in the fourth game to extend the match, Randolph had one kill and Mount Mercy committed two errors to give Missouri Valley a 3-1 lead.  Oliveira added two kills, but MVC trailed, 9-8.  The Mustangs took control from there, winning nine-straight points to hold a 19-8 advantage.  The Vikings were unable to work back into the game, and MMU won by a 25-16 score to win the match, 3-1 in games.

Randolph led with 11 kills, while Oliveira had a double-double of 10 kills and a team-high 26 digs, to go with four aces.  Romanowicz had nine kills.  Fitzgerland added a double-double of a team-high 21 assists to go with 18 digs, while Crain had 12 assists.  Senior Libero Ana Franco (Cascais, Portugal) had 20 assists and Freshman Outside Hitter Rylee Adams added 16 digs.  The team totaled four blocks and 13 aces.

Missouri Valley drops to 4-5 on the season and 0-1 in the Heart.  Mount Mercy improves to 6-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking women's volleyball team will travel to Dubuque, Iowa, to play Clarke (Iowa) in a Heart match, Saturday at 2 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.