DES MOINES, IOWA – The Vikings hosted Park University for the semifinals of the Heart of America Conference Tournament on Monday evening. In a hard-fought battle, Grand View fell 3-1 to the Pirates, ending their tournament run.
The first set was an instant classic. After Park took an early 9-5 lead, Grand View called timeout. Maiah Kalima-Izumi sparked the comeback with a service ace to tie it at 10-10. With the score tied at 14-14, Mariana de Carvalho and Lindsey Hrbek combined for a crucial block to give the Vikings momentum. The set went back-and-forth until reaching 25-25. Grand View showed resilience, fighting off multiple set points. At 28-28, Vitoria Campos Mello delivered a clutch kill for set point. Juliana Neves set up Campos Mello once more to finish the thriller 30-28.
The second set started strong for Grand View. Neves opened with a service ace, and Aydia Mayotte added another as the Vikings built an early lead. Park responded with a 5-1 run to take an 8-5 advantage. At 12-9, Mayotte served another ace, and the Vikings rallied. De Carvalho caught fire with three consecutive kills from Neves, giving Grand View a 19-17 lead. Park battled back to tie at 20-20, then closed out the set 26-24 to even the match.
The third set proved to be the turning point. After falling behind 4-2, Campos Mello delivered back-to-back kills to tie it. Ellie Dougherty served an ace to give the Vikings a 6-5 lead. Grand View extended the advantage to 8-5, but Park's Indi Zetic took over, leading a comeback to give the Pirates a 10-9 lead. The teams battled through multiple ties. Mayotte delivered two service aces to push Grand View ahead 18-16, but Park rallied late. After a Grand View timeout at 23-20, Kalima-Izumi served an ace to make it 24-22, but Park closed it out 25-22.
Facing elimination in the fourth set, Grand View started strong with a 2-0 lead. Park countered to take a 6-4 advantage, but Dougherty tied it with consecutive kills. The set remained tight throughout. Park led 15-10, but Grand View fought back. The Vikings rallied behind de Carvalho's three kills to tie it at 21-21. Beniz Tasdemir came off the bench with a clutch kill. After Hrbek and de Carvalho combined for a block, Grand View had set point at 25-24. The teams traded points through multiple set points. At 26-26, Campos Mello served an ace for another set point at 27-26. Park fought off multiple match points, and the set went to 29-29. Park finally closed it out 31-29.
Despite the loss, Grand View out-dug Park 115-107 and recorded more blocks (11-6). Both teams demonstrated championship-level volleyball in a match featuring multiple marathon sets.
MATCH NOTES
- Vitoria Campos Mello led Grand View with 22 kills, adding 26 digs, 4 blocks, and a service ace
- Mariana de Carvalho recorded 18 kills with a .250 hitting percentage and led the team with 25 digs
- Ellie Dougherty contributed 8 kills with 14 digs and a service ace
- Juliana Neves orchestrated the offense with 48 assists while adding 3 kills on a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage and 9 digs
- Brooklyn Roder had 3 kills and led the team with 7 total blocks
- Lindsey Hrbek posted 2 kills and 4 total blocks
- Maiah Kalima-Izumi anchored the defense with a match-high 28 digs and added a team-high 3 service aces
- Aydia Mayotte recorded 3 service aces
UP NEXT
Grand View awaits the selection show of the NAIA national tournament. That will determine their seed for the tournament, the location, and who they play next! The selection show is on Monday, November 17th, at 4 PM.
