DES MOINES, IOWA – The Vikings hosted William Penn University for their first home conference match. Despite falling behind 2-0 early, they battled back to take the third set and extend the match. A hard-fought, back-and-forth fifth set saw the Vikings narrowly edged out, 15-11, marking their first loss in Heart conference play with a 3-2 final score. Set scores were, 25-18, 25-21, 25-20, 25-23, and 15-11.

Grand View battled hard in their five-set showdown against William Penn but ultimately came up short. The Vikings struggled to find their offensive rhythm early, hitting just .133 and .172 in the first two sets. At the same time, the Statesmen capitalized with efficient attacking percentages of .387 and .308 to take a commanding 2-0 lead. However, Grand View responded in the third set, improving to a .235 hitting percentage while holding William Penn to just .054 to keep the match alive. The fourth set remained tightly contested, but the Vikings managed to edge out a win despite matching their opponent in errors. In the decisive fifth set, William Penn's sharp .333 attack efficiency proved too much as Grand View managed just six kills on 14 attempts, ultimately falling 15-11 and suffering their first conference loss.

Despite the tough outcome, several Vikings delivered standout performances. Daniel Galili led the offensive charge with 23 kills on 53 attempts, hitting .226 while also contributing 11 digs and 24 total points. Ryan Griffel provided an efficient presence at the net, recording 11 kills on a .258 hitting percentage and adding five block assists for 14.5 points. André Lucas Alves Leandro chipped in eight kills while leading the team defensively with six total blocks. Setter Rafael Obrusnik facilitated the offense with 37 assists and contributed five digs. Joshua Valencia and Galili anchored the back row with 11 digs each, while Malakai Christian and Thomas Weseloh added key defensive efforts. However, Grand View's overall .170 hitting percentage and 29 attack errors proved costly, ultimately leading to their first conference defeat.
 
GAME NOTES

• Leading the Vikings' attack, Daniel Galili tallied 23 kills on 53 attempts, hitting .226, while adding 11 digs and 24 total points.
• Dominating at the net, Ryan Griffel posted 11 kills on a .258 hitting percentage and contributed five block assists for 14.5 points.
• Impacting both ends, André Lucas Alves Leandro recorded eight kills and led the team with six total blocks.

 
UP NEXT
The Vikings hit the road this weekend before returning home next week, making a stop in Lamoni, IA, for a Heart of America matchup against the William Penn Yellowjackets.