DES MOINES, IOWA - The Grand View women's volleyball team extended their win streak to 12 straight after battling past the Benedictine Ravens in a back-and-forth five-set match. With the victory, the No. 19-ranked Vikings improve to 20-1 on the season.
The Ravens came out strong in set one, taking it 25-16 as the Vikings struggled to find rhythm offensively. Grand View committed 12 errors to Benedictine's one, hitting just .021 in the opening set.
The Vikings regrouped and came out strong in the second set, taking an early 8-5 lead. Benedictine closed the gap, but a flurry of kills from Mariana de Carvalho helped the Vikings pull ahead. Carvalho, Vitoria Campos Mello, and Ellie Dougherty closed out the set with key kills, evening the match at one apiece.
Set three turned into an offensive showdown in a 33-31 battle. Down 18-22, the Vikings rallied behind strong serving from Maiah Kalima-Izumi and a series of clutch kills from Dougherty to briefly take a 25-24 lead. Despite the comeback effort, Benedictine held on to claim the set with a late ace.
While the Vikings dropped set three, the moment still marked a major milestone. Setter Juliana Neves recorded her 1,000th career assist on Grand View's eighth point of the set. The sophomore reached the milestone in just a season and a half, underscoring her consistency and impact on the program in her first season as a Viking. Trailing 1-2 in the match, Grand View stormed back with purpose, dominating the fourth and fifth sets 25-13 and 15-10. The Vikings hit .423 in the fourth, powered by Carvalho and Campos Mello with four kills each. Lindsey Hrbek provided the spark off the bench, tallying a block assist and a kill during a 13-4 Viking run to seal the set.
In the decisive fifth set, Dougherty took command, delivering four explosive kills and a
solo block to push Grand View past the Ravens and secure the five-set victory.

GAME NOTES

•  Juliana Neves recorded her 1000th career assist
•  Mariana de Carvalho contributed 26.5 points with 24 kills from 59 attempts at a .305 hitting percentage, 19 digs, and 3 block assists.
•  Ellie Dougherty added 17.5 points with 16 kills from 32 attempts and a .438 hitting percentage, paired with a block and a block assist.
•  Vitoria Campos Mello added 16.5 points on 14 kills, 3 block assists, and an ace.
• Maiya Kalima-Izumi delivered two service aces and an impressive 25 digs.

UP NEXT
Grand View will be back in action at 7:00 PM on Tuesday at Home for another conference matchup against Graceland University