DES MOINES, IOWA – 4th-ranked Grand View University men's volleyball hits their final regular season home stretch with The Pride of Clarke University up first to open the week. Grand View would win convincingly, shutting the Pride down in three straight to move to 10-1 in the Heart and 16-3 overall. Set scores were 25-17, 29-27, and 25-10.
 
The Vikings would start the first set trailing, but the Pride lead wouldn't last long as Grand View quickly moved in front 7-2 following an ace from Dalton Dencklau that would result in an early timeout by Clarke. CU would keep the opening set competitive as they inched towards a smaller deficit. Still, the Vikings would remain in control as they closed out set one with three straight kills, two coming from Leonardo Annichini and one from Andre Lucas.

Clarke would turn relentless in the second set; Grand View's attack accuracy took a dip in the second set, hitting just .184% compared to the Pride high of the game, .235%. The Vikings, who faced an uphill battle to prevent the Pride from taking a set, would begin their rally with a kill from Daniel Galili, giving them a 22-20 advantage. After trading side-outs, the Pride would call a timeout following an ace from Rafael Obrusnik. The two teams would race past set point, but Annichini would halt the CU attempt as he finished set two himself with a pair of kills and an ace.

Grand View would display their best and most efficient offense in the final set, hitting .588% with only one error. The highlight of the third set and the match was Annichini's impressive performance from the service stripe. The Verona native served nine straight with seven aces, five of which came in a row to give the fourth-ranked Vikings an 18-7 lead. GVU would keep the aces flowing as Ryan Griffel tabbed his first of the game, the third of the season. Clarke would answer with a kill, but GVU would dominate the final set 25-10 to take the match in three.
 
Team Notes

• Leonardo Annichini dominated the service line, punishing the Pride with eight aces. He now has 25 on the season.
• Grand View had 11 aces to the Pride 1.
• Daniel Galili was efficient for the Vikings, finishing with a match-high 19 kills on 32 swings (.438%)

UP NEXT?
The Vikings will return to the Charles S. Johnson Wellness Center this Friday as they host Culver-Stockton for the final game of the regular season series between the two. The first serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.