CANTON, MISSOURI – Women's Volleyball faced the Wildcats of Culver-Stockton College Friday night in a competitive Heart of America Conference road match. After dropping the first two sets, the Vikings orchestrated an impressive comeback, winning three straight to claim the five-set match victory. Set scores were 18-25, 23-25, 25-20, 26-24, and 15-10.
The Viking faced a slow start, falling behind the Wildcats 6-15 in the first set. Resiliently, Grand View capitalized on their opponents' errors and were able to tighten the gap.
Brooklyn Roder,
Kaylee Stalder, and
Sydney Beasley delivered timely kills during a Viking run to claw their way back to a three-point deficit. Despite their efforts, Culver-Stockton regained their momentum and ultimately secured the set, 25-18.
Ellie Dougherty supplied three kills in the set to lead Grand View's offense.
The second set featured back-and-forth action, but Culver-Stockton regained the lead late, leaving the Vikings trailing by six as the Wildcats neared twenty points. Grand View responded with solid net defense, featuring blocking contributions from
Sydney Beasley,
Ellie Dougherty,
Reese Casey, and
Brooklyn Roder. Three kills from
Sydney Beasley helped close the gap, but the Vikings fell short, dropping the second set 25-23.
Grand View increased the intensity early entering the third set and were able to quickly establish a lead.
Maiah Kalima-Izumi played a crucial role serving up two aces, while
Anna Takushi and Chevy Wagnur-Chung each contributed one. The Wildcats fought back, but
Kaylee Stalder's five kills, including the set-winning shot, helped secure the set for the Vikings, finalizing the score at 25-20.
The fourth set was tightly fought, but the Vikings prevailed once again with a set score of 26-24.
Sydney Beasley and
Ellie Dougherty led the offensive with five and four kills respectively, while
Kaylee Stalder chipped in three. Serving remained a strong area for Grand View, with
Jenna Bentz,
Anna Takushi, and
Maiah Kalima-Izumi each recording service aces. The battle never let up, but the Vikings were able to withstand the pressure and send the match to the fifth set.
All knotted up after the fourth, the Vikings were determined to capitalize on their hard work. Back-to-back kills by
Sydney Beasley, assisted by
Jenna Bentz, applied pressure to the Wildcats early.
Brooklyn Roder followed suit and added two kills, separated only by a solid block from
Reese Casey and
Kaylee Stalder. To seal their efforts,
Reese Casey sealed the match with a powerful kill, ending the set 15-10 and securing an impressive five-set comeback victory for the Vikings.
GAME NOTES
UP NEXT
Grand View will take a break this weekend before returning to action next Tuesday, October 22
nd, against the Pride of Clarke University in Dubuque.
