Women's Volleyball Drops Home Game to Baker

Marshall, Mo., (Oct. 18, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball hosted Baker (Kan.), in a Heart of America Athletic Conference match Saturday afternoon inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The Vikings fell in three games by scores of 10-25, 14-25, 20-25. 

The match started with the teams trading points through a 6-6 score.  The Vikings used three BU errors, and both Junior Outside Hitter Laura Tavares (Merida, Venezuela) and Freshman Outside Hitter Rylee Adams (Odessa, Mo.) had a kill each.  Baker eventually went in front, winning 13-straight points to hold a 21-7 advantage.  The next MVC kill came from Sophomore Outside Hitter Olivia Randolph (Columbia, Mo.), then Tavares had a solo block, and also teamed up with Senior Middle Hitter Kinga Romanowicz (Krepiec, Poland) on a block. However, Baker closed out the first game at 25-10.

Game two opened with Baker taking an early advantage, winning the first seven points, 7-0.  The two teams traded points over the next stretch of play, as Tavares added a kill, Freshman Defensive Specialist Morgan Smith (Kaufman, Texas) landed an ace, and Junior Right Side Alana Burton (Ogden, Iowa) had a solo block to cut into its deficit, 14-7.  BU responded by taking five-straight points to stretch its lead out to 20-8.  The Vikings rallied late, as they won six of the next nine points.  Sophomore Right Side Harper Herring (Orange Park, Fla.) featured back-to-back kills, Randolph had two kills, to go with a kill from Junior Middle Hitter Stacy Maimur (Chicago, Ill.), but Baker won the final two points and won the second game, 25-14.

Needing a win in the third game to extend the match, Missouri Valley started going in front using five BU errors, two kills from Freshman Defensive Specialist Maddie Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) and a kill from Senior Right Side Maria Bertholdo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) to make it an 8-4 score.  The Vikings increased its advantage to 13-9, which included a kill from Burton, two more kills from Johnson, and an ace from Junior Setter Clarissa Dias (Praia Grande, Brazil).  Baker answered back, winning six-straight points to take the lead, 15-13.  Missouri Valley tied the game, as Bertholdo added a kill, and Adams and Burton teamed up on a block, 15-15.  BU followed with a five-point run to claim a 20-15 lead. The final points were traded between the two teams, but the Vikings were unable to work back, and Baker finished out a 25-20 win in the game to take the match.

Johnson led with four kills. Randoph, Bertholdo and Herring finished with three kills each. Dias had ten assists, six digs, and one ace, while Senior Libero Ana Franco (Cascais, Portugal) added nine digs.  Missouri Valley finished with four blocks as a team. 

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 12-13 overall and 5-9 in the Heart.  Baker improves to 14-7 on the season and 8-5 in the conference.

Up next, the Vikings women's volleyball team will host Culver-Stockton (Mo.), for Senior Night, Tuesday 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.