DES MOINES, IOWA – The Grand View Vikings faced off against the Mount Mercy Mustangs in their final home game of the regular season Tuesday night. Both teams came to battle, resulting in a thrilling five-set match that favored the Vikings, with set scores of 25-23,19-25, 25-17, 23-25, and 15-10.

The opening set saw the Vikings play from behind for much of the game, but they regained momentum at 17-17, fueled by five service aces — three of which came consecutively from Chevy Wagner-Chun. Mount Mercy's 17 kills were not enough to overcome Grand View, and the Vikings clinched the first set, 25-23, with offensive help from Sydney Beasley who contributed four kills.

In the second set, a slow start forced the Vikings to battle from an early deficit. Sydney Beasley aimed to ignite the team, totaling three kills and one block in the set, leading to a mid-set surge that relied on Mustang errors. Key in the late battle was Ellie Dougherty, who added three kills during the stretch. Despite their efforts, Grand View struggled to grasp the lead and dropped the second set 19-25.

Grand View put all the pieces together in the third set, recording four service aces, five blocks, and fourteen kills as a team. Back-to-back solo blocks from Reese Casey and Brooklyn Roder set the tone for a 25-17 set win. Sydney Beasley and Kaylee Stalder added four and three kills, respectively, while Maiah Kalima-Izumi contributed three service aces.

Brooklyn Roder and Sydney Beasley paved the way early in the fourth set for the Vikings with two kills each, resulting in an initial four-point run. Despite this offensive pressure, the Mustangs were determined to keep the match competitive and Grand View found themselves trailing, 22-18. With Clarissa Hasty at the service line, the Vikings managed to pull within one point, aided by a service ace from Hasty herself. Chevy Wagner-Chun displayed her ball-handling skills with a beautiful assist on a Brooklyn Roder kill to tie the game at 23-23. However, the Mustangs edged out the Vikings to take the 25-23, forcing a fifth set.

The deciding set showcased defensive tenacity on both sides, resulting in long rallies. Sydney Beasley led a five-point Grand View run with three kills, supported by a kill from Kaylee Stalder and a service ace from Anna Takushi. Jenna Bentz added a second-touch attack, spreading the lead to 7-5, a strategy she utilized multiple times throughout the night. Consecutive kills from Reese Casey, followed by a kill from Brooklyn Roder, prompted a timeout from a shaken Mount Mercy team. Casey continued her dominance with another kill, followed by a service ace from Clarissa Hasty, pushing the score to 12-7. Brooklyn Roder added another kill, but the Mustangs fought back to tighten the gap to three before Sydney Beasley scored  the second-to-last point of the match, sealing the set 15-10. 

GAME NOTES

• Grand View totaled 12 service aces and 10 blocks in the match, both integral to the team's success.
• Sydney Beasley and Brooklyn Roder lead the offensive charge with 20 and 11 kills respectively, both showcasing their ability to score crucial points throughout the match.
• Balanced hitting in the third and fourth sets resulted in seven different Vikings recording kills in the match.
• Jenna Bentz generated an impressive 45 assists, in addition to contributing 6 kills.

UP NEXT
The Vikings have a busy weekend lined up, starting with a trip to Baldwin City, Kansas on Friday night, November 1^st, to face the Wildcats of Baker University. On Saturday, November 2^nd, the team head to Olathe to battle MidAmerica Nazarene University at 12:00 p.m.