PARKVILLE, MISSOURI – Tuesday night featured a tightly contested top ten matchup between two Heart of America Conference teams as the No. 8 Vikings faced the No. 9 Pirates of Park University. Grand View fought hard but struggled to match Park's late-set composure and offensive efficiency in the first two frames. The Vikings responded with an aggressive third-set win but couldn't extend the match, falling in four sets.

The Vikings held the lead for most of the first frame, fending off multiple attempts by Park to even the score. However, a late three-point surge by the Pirates gave them their first lead at 20-19. A service error and a clutch kill from Ryan Griffel helped Grand View briefly reclaim the lead, but the back-and-forth continued down the stretch. Kills from Thomas Weseloh and Daniel Galili kept the Vikings in contention, but a momentum-shifting Park block, followed by a kill, sealed the set at 25-23 in the Pirates' favor. Griffel led with five kills, while the Vikings hit .375 as a team, but Park's .484 attack percentage and 20 kills proved the difference.

Grand View fell behind early in the second set but quickly responded behind three kills from Galili and back-to-back aces from Griffel to take a 7-5 lead. Like the first frame, both teams battled in a tight contest, but this time, Park held a slight edge throughout. The Vikings briefly jumped ahead 16-15 after Griffel's third ace of the set, but Park's late surge, fueled by key blocks and a service ace, secured a 25-20 win. Galili led with six kills, but the Vikings struggled offensively, hitting just .031 compared to Park's .360.

The Vikings controlled the third set, ignited as they took a 6-3 lead fueled by Park errors and a block from Nicolas Vattier. The Vikings stretched their advantage to 13-8 with kills from Galili and Griffel and a block by Galili and Leandro. The Pirates fought back within one at 16-15, but Grand View responded with another kill from Griffel and solo block from Vattier to regain momentum. A series of Park errors, coupled with kills from Galili and Leandro, sealed the win, 25-18, holding Park to a negative hitting percentage (-.036) in the set.

Despite an early 4-0 run in the fourth set, Grand View struggled to sustain momentum as Park's blocking and serving continued to be a challenge. The Vikings trailed 12-15 after giving up two aces, and a Park block extended the deficit to 12-16. The Vikings capitalized on Park's service errors, with Griffel responding to one with an ace, closing the gap to 17-19. However, a pair of Park kills forced a Grand View timeout at 17-21. Vattier answered with a kill, and a block from Vattier and Galili kept the Vikings within striking distance at 19-21, but Park closed the set on a 4-0 run to secure the match with a 25-19 win.

GAME NOTES

• Daniel Galili led Grand View with 15 kills, hitting .235, while adding 5 digs, 5 block assists, and 1 service ace.
• Ryan Griffel contributed 12 kills, while recording 4 aces and 6 digs.
• Andre Leandro was efficient on the attack, hitting .364 with five kills on 11 attempts and just 1 error, while also tallying 4 block assists and 3 digs.
• Park's defensive presence at the net proved crucial, as the Pirates finished with 15 total blocks, limiting GVU to a .190 hitting percentage.
• The Vikings outperformed Park at the service line, recording seven aces to the Pirates' four.

UP NEXT
Grand View will close out the regular season on Tuesday, April 8, with a road matchup at 7:00 PM against William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa.