Women's Volleyball Tops William Woods on the Road in Five Games

Fulton, Mo., (Sept. 24, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team traveled to Fulton, Mo., Friday evening for a Heart of America Athletic Conference match against William Woods (Mo.).  The Vikings outlasted the Owls by scores of 25-22, 20-25, 16-25, 25-15, 15-11.

Game one opened with Missouri Valley gradually building up a lead, as Sophomore Outside Hitter Olivia Randolph (Columbia, Mo.) put down two kills, while Junior Outside Hitter Laura Tavares (Merida, Venezuela) and Junior Middle Hitter Stacy Maimur (Chicago, Ill.) added one kill to help make it a 7-5 score.  William Woods answered back, and won six of the next seven points to put the Vikings in an 11-8 deficit.  Missouri Valley won four of five points over a stretch, which included two kills from Senior Middle Hitter Kinga Romanowicz (Krepiec, Poland) and one kill from Randolph to cut the deficit to 14-13.  Four-straight points for MVC came later in the game, as Freshman Outside Hitter Rylee Adams (Odessa, Mo.) and Senior Outside Hitter Juliana Oliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) each had one kill to send the team on top, 18-16.  The Vikings maintained a lead through the rest of the game, as an ace from Sophomore Setter Kellen Fitzgerald (Frisco, Texas) followed by a kill from Randolph sent MVC to game-point.  Oliveira finished off one more kill to end the game, 25-22, in favor of Missouri Valley.

The second game began with two kills from Romanowicz and one kill by Randolph to help Missouri Valley hold a 3-2 advantage.  William Woods answered by taking five-straight points to move in front, 7-3.  The Vikings responded later in the game, and won seven of eight points.  Maimur and Tavares each had one kill, while Tavares put down a solo block, then teamed up with Maimur on a block to send Missouri Valley ahead, 11-9.  The Owls eventually went on top, and held an 18-14 lead late in the game.  One kill from both Romanowicz and Oliveira cut the deficit down to 18-17, but WWU eventually made it a 23-18 score.  Maimur finished off a kill and Senior Setter Avery Crain (Shell Knob, Mo.) added an ace to try and help MVC back into the game.  However, William Woods won the second game, 25-20, to tie the teams at 1-1 in the match.

William Woods went in front at the start of the third game, and gradually built up its lead.  Tavares and Randolph each had two early kills, while Freshman Defensive Specialist Morgan Smith (Kaufman, Texas) put down an ace as the MVC trailed, 8-6.  The Owls added to their advantage from there, eventually sitting at 20-12.  Junior Right Side Alana Burton (Ogden, Iowa) had one kill, then teamed up with Tavares on a block, while Randolph added another kill to bring the gap down to 22-15.  William Woods closed out the game from there, winning, 25-16, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Needing a win in the fourth game to extend the match, Missouri Valley won six of the opening seven points to take control.  Oliveira landed two aces, while Romanowicz and Adams had one kill apiece, and Romanowicz teamed up with Sophomore Right Side Harper Herring (Orange Park, Fla.) on a block to help make it a 6-1 score.  The two teams traded the next few points, as Herring and Tavares each had one kill to help keep the team on top, 9-4.  William Woods cut its deficit down to 9-7, but MVC won four-straight points, as Randolph had one kill, then teamed up with Romanowicz on a block, while Smith put down an ace to set the advantage at 13-7.  Missouri Valley continued to maintain its lead from there.  Four-straight kills closed out the game, coming from Tavares, Randolph, Herring and Romanowicz to finish a 25-15 win, and send the match into game five.  The Vikings hit at a .481 percentage in the game.

Game five began with Missouri Valley gradually building up a lead.  Herring, Adams and Tavares each had one kill, while Burton put down a solo block to make it a 6-3 score.  Randolph and Burton teamed up on a block, while Tavares added another kill to stretch the advantage to 10-5.  The two teams traded points from there, as Randolph, Romanowicz and Adams had one kill each to make it match-point, 14-8. William Woods won three-straight points, but Romanowicz ended the match with a final kill, to make it a 15-11 score for the Vikings.

Randolph finished with 17 kills on a .412 hitting percentage, to go with six digs.  Tavares had 16 kills on a .361 hitting percentage and Romanowicz added 10 kills on a .529 hitting percentage.  Fitzgerald led with 28 assists, and added seven digs.  Crain had 18 assists and nine digs, while Senior Libero Ana Franco (Cascais, Portugal) had 26 digs and 10 assists.  Missouri Valley hit at a .305 percentage as a team  and had nine blocks and seven aces.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 9-8 overall and 3-4 in the Heart.  William Woods falls to 13-5 on the season and 5-3 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking women's volleyball team will travel to Olathe, Kan., for a Heart match with MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Tuesday at 7 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.