DES MOINES, IOWA – Grand View University Vikings, the top-seeded and 5th-ranked team in the country, showcased their dominance in the Heart of America Conference Tournament. After a first-round bye, they set their sights on Missouri Valley College. GVU secured two straight sets with a powerful offensive display before conceding a third. However, their persistence paid off in the fourth set, leading to a 3-1 victory and a spot in the Conference Championship back this Saturday in Des Moines, April 20th. The set scores were 25-22, 25-18, 29-27, and 25-22.

With the win, the Vikings improved to 21-6 overall and will host the Conference Championship after being on the road the previous season for the first since joining the Heart. Grand View has won all but one (2023) Heart of America Conference Tournaments.

The opening two sets were back-and-forth for the majority of play. The two Vikings exchanged four leads in both sets and tied eight times in set one.

After securing two straight sets, the two Viking teams raced past the set point in the third period, exchanging leads four times and tying eleven times throughout. The third set, however, saw a shift in offensive momentum as Missouri Valley hit its best mark of the evening at .348 to GVU's lowest of .108 in the third frame. MVC would push for a fourth set, extending their chances, with an overall match score of 2-1.

It was the fourth and final set that would get a little tricky. Grand View would go up 20-19 after a double-block from Daniel Wong and Daniel Galili; Wong posted the previous two kills to tie things at 19, forcing Missouri Valley into a timeout as they trailed. GVU continued to move forward after exchanging sideouts with MoVal, but Leonardo Annichini would seal the win with back-to-back kills for match point.

Bayron Valdez Peña was exceptional for the Vikings, posting his fourth straight game with 15+ kills, ending with 18, just one shy of his season high.

Team Notes

• Grand View outpowered Missouri Valley 57 kills to 42. 
• Guilherme Domdei Goedert finished with 49 assists and 0 errors.  
• Andre Lucas Alves Leandro came up big for the Vikings in the middle, recording seven blocks. 
• The Vikings win the overall series against Missouri Valley this season 2-1. 

UP NEXT?
Grand View will host William Penn University this Saturday, April 20th, at 2:00 p.m. in the Charles S. Johnson Wellness Center. The last time the two teams met, Grand View defeated the Statesmen in Oskaloosa 3-2, where the Vikings took a fifth set from behind with a score of 16-14.