PARKVILLE, MISSOURI – The 5th-ranked Grand View men's volleyball team traveled south for a top-five-in-the-country and conference match-up. Grand View and Park University squared off for an evening of high-level volleyball. The Vikings didn't look themselves offensively, resulting in their first conference loss of the season. Set scores were 25-18, 25-19, 25-19.
 
The match indicated a thriller within the first few points of the opening set. The Vikings and Pirates tied at five following a Park error. Park's lead jumped to 14-9 after a GVU side out, and Grand View was forced into catch-up mode. The Vikings struggled to get the offense flowing, and Park capitalized on set one, 25-18.
 
Set two began with the Vikings and Pirates trading points, keeping the score neck and neck. However, Park ultimately gained an advantage, leading at 10-7. They continued to dominate, scoring nearly six unanswered points with two impressive blocks. When the Vikings closed in at 17-14, they called for a timeout, and Ryan Griffel made a kill to reduce their deficit to four. The late rally wouldn't be enough as Park went up 2-0 following a set two win.
 
Park jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the third set, keeping their momentum flowing. After a shaky start, GVU would reap a 6-0 run to cut Parks' lead to 8-6. Park, however, wouldn't let it last long as they hurried their lead back to five points. Isaiah Kalima-Izumi would be a large spark for the Vikings in the third set, creating two kills to squash a Park run. Park would remain solid offensively all match, hitting .440 with nearly double the kills of the Vikings. Resulting in a sweep over GVU.


UP NEXT?
The Vikings will return to Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday, March 20th, to close out their series against the Pride of Clarke University. The match will begin at 7:00 p.m.