Women's Volleyball Suffers Road Loss to MidAmerica Nazarene

Olathe, Kan., (Sept. 30, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team traveled to Olathe, Kan., Tuesday evening for a Heart of America Athletic Conference match with MidAmerica Nazarene.  The Vikings fell by scores of 15-25, 20-25, 23-25.

The match began with Missouri Valley building an early lead in game one.  Both Senior Middle Hitter Kinga Romanowicz (Krepiec, Poland) and Freshman Outside Hitter Rylee Adams (Odessa, Mo.) landed one kill and Senior Outside Hitter Juliana Oliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) put down an ace to help make it a 5-4 score.  The Vikings maintained a 7-4 advantage after a pair of MNU errors, but the Pioneers responded with a run.  MidAmerica Nazarene won eight of nine points over the next stretch of play to make it a 12-8 score.  The Vikings bounced back to win four of five points, as Oliveira finished off two kills to help cut the deficit down to 15-13.  However, the Pioneers won eight of the next nine points to pull away, and MNU eventually closed out the first game at 25-15.

Game two started with Missouri Valley again taking an early advantage.  Sophomore Outside Hitter Olivia Randolph (Columbia, Mo.) had two kills and Junior Right Side Laura Tavares (Merida, Venezuela) added one kill to help make it a 5-1 score.  The Vikings then won six of the next seven points, including one kill from Randolph, an ace by Senior Libero Ana Franco (Cascais, Portugal) and a block from Adams and Junior Right Side Alana Burton (Ogden, Iowa) to hold an 11-3 lead.  Missouri Valley eventually sat in front 13-5, after another Adams kill before MidAmerica Nazarene began to chip away at its deficit.  One kill each from Oliveira and Randolph kept MVC in front, 16-13, but MNU followed with six-straight points to pull ahead, 19-16.  The teams traded points over the next stretch of play, as Randolph had two kills and Adams finished off one kill to keep the team in a 22-20 deficit.  The Pioneers closed out the game from there, taking the final three points and finishing at 25-20.

Needing a win in the third game to extend the match, MVC won the opening five points, off four MidAmerica Nazarene errors and one kill from Sophomore Right Side Harper Herring (Orange Park, Fla.).  The advantage sat at 7-2 following one kill apiece from Oliveira and Randolph, but MNU began to work back into the game.  The Pioneers won six of the next seven points to tie the teams at 8-8.  Randolph and Senior Right Side Maria Bertholdo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) each had one kill to keep the Vikings in front, 11-10, but MidAmerica Nazarene came back with another run.  Six of the next seven points were won by MNU to pull the team ahead, 16-12.  The Vikings came close to tying the score multiple times late in the game, as Bertholdo had two kills to bring the team into a 22-21 deficit.  The final points were traded between the two teams, and MidAmerica Nazarene was able to hold off the Vikings to win game three, 25-23, and take the match.

Randolph led with nine kills, while Sophomore Setter Kellen Fitzgerald (Frisco, Texas) totaled 15 digs and seven assists.  Franco added 12 digs.  Missouri Valley finished with six blocks and three aces as a team

The Vikings fall to 9-9 overall and 3-5 in the Heart.  MidAmerica Nazarene moves to 12-4 overall and 7-1 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking women's volleyball team hosts No. 10 Missouri Baptist in a Heart match, Friday at 7 p.m., inside the Burns Athletic Complex.

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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.