DES MOINES, IOWA – Grand View hosted the Clarke University Pride on Tuesday evening, aiming to rebound from a tough conference loss. The Vikings delivered a strong response, sweeping the Pride in straight sets. Set scores were 25-14, 25-12, and 25-10.
Grand View dominated throughout the evening, coming out especially strong in the first set with an impressive 12 kills on 16 attempts — four of which came from
Ryan Griffel. The Vikings built a commanding 19-10 lead, but Clarke's middle managed to chip away at the deficit. However, a clutch kill from
Leonardo Annichini sealed the set for GVU, securing a convincing first-set victory.
The Vikings came out sharp once again, striking first with a powerful kill from
Malakai Christian off the opening serve. Dominating from the service line,
Kevin Davidson fired off an ace to extend GV's lead to 11-4. Clarke tried to mount a comeback, but seven errors on 20 attacking attempts stalled any momentum. Another decisive kill from Christian sealed the set for Grand View, 25-12.
Grand View dominated statistically in their three-set sweep over Clarke, posting a .589 hitting percentage with 39 kills and just 6 errors, compared to Clarke's .135 with 22 kills and 15 errors. The Vikings were especially sharp in the opening set, hitting .688 with 12 kills on 16 attempts, while Clarke managed just .105. Grand View also controlled the service game with 11 aces to Clarke's 1 and held a 35-21 edge in assists, securing a convincing win.
GAME NOTES
- Daniel Galili led the attack with 11 kills on 14 attempts, hitting .643.
- André Lucas Alves Leandro was nearly perfect, recording 8 kills on 10 attempts for an .800 hitting percentage.
- Malakai Christian was flawless, hitting 1.000 with 4 kills on 4 attempts.
- Leonardo Annichini delivered at the service line with 5 aces and 7 kills, hitting .636.
- Ryan Griffel contributed 8 kills and 4 aces, hitting .545.
- Rafael Obrusnik ran the offense efficiently with 32 assists.
- Grand View dominated from the service line with 11 aces to Clarke's 1.
UP NEXT
Grand View continues its homestand this weekend with two matches at the Wellness Center, starting Friday evening with a 6:00 p.m. matchup against the Dordt University Defenders.
