CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – Grand View Men's Volleyball concluded its 2025 season this week at the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship, falling in both pool play matches to Benedictine Mesa and undeafeated Saint Xavier. Despite the results, the Vikings competed with grit against elite competition and capped another strong season with their sixth consecutive national tournament appearance.
GAME 1 | BENEDICTINE MESA 3, GRAND VIEW
Set Scores: 25-17, 25-18, 25-16
Grand View opened pool play Wednesday against a sharp Benedictine Mesa squad and struggled to find consistent rhythm. The Vikings stayed within striking distance early in each set, but the Redhawks used a balanced attack and high-efficiency hitting (.348) to take control.
Daniel Galili led the way with 11 kills, while
Ryan Griffel added nine. Galili and Griffel each battled through tough blocking schemes but were limited by the Redhawks' pressure at the net.
Andre Leandro chipped in four kills on 11 swings (.273), and setter
Rafael Obrusnik distributed 23 assists. Middle blockers
Thomas Weseloh and
Malakai Christian each added two blocks, while
Joshua Valencia anchored the defense with eight digs and six receptions.
Serving errors and 22 total attack errors proved costly for Grand View, which hit just .091 as a team. The Vikings also gave up five aces in a match where momentum was hard to reclaim.
GAME 2 | SAINT XAVIER 3, GRAND VIEW 1
Set Scores: 18-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-23
A quick turnaround didn't faze the Vikings on Thursday, as they came out swinging against unbeaten Saint Xavier. Galili powered the offense with 18 kills on 55 swings, while Griffel was efficient with 12 kills and a .243 hitting percentage.
Set one saw Grand View jump ahead early, using aggressive play and solid defense to grab a 25-18 win. Galili and Griffel led the charge, while timely kills from
Thomas Weseloh and Andre Leandro, paired with
Malakai Christian's net defense, helped fuel the Vikings' fast start.
The Cougars, however, responded in deciding fashion. They hit .244 for the match and out-aced the Vikings 9-2, using tough serving and timely swings to take the next three sets. Grand View battled to the end in a tightly contested fourth set, but a late Saint Xavier run sealed the match.
Defensively, Valencia posted a team-high 10 digs. Obrusnik and Galili followed with 13 and 8, respectively. Leandro was spotless on the stat sheet, finishing with five kills on nine attempts (.556), while also contributing five block assists. Weseloh and
Leonardo Annichini combined for five blocks of their own in their final showing of the season.
Grand View finishes its 2025 campaign with a 19-8 overall record and a continued presence on the national stage.
FINAL NOTES
- The Vikings made their sixth consecutive NAIA National Championship appearance.
- Daniel Galili recorded 29 kills over the two matches, including 18 vs. Saint Xavier.
- Ryan Griffel added 21 kills to balance the offense across both games
- Grand View ends the year 19-8 overall.
