UNIVERSITY PARK, ILLINOIS – The Vikings traveled to Governors State University on Friday afternoon for their second match of the season. Grand View claimed their first victory of 2026 with a hard-fought 3-1 win over the Jaguars at the Athletics and Recreation Center. The Vikings improved to 1-1 on the season.
The first set started with both teams trading points early. Cheikh Sou opened Grand View's scoring with
a kill from Guilherme Domdei Goedert. Jonathan Rzepa connected on a kill from the team to give the Vikings a 3-1 lead, followed by Chris Davis adding another from Domdei Goedert.
Andre Lucas Alves Leandro delivered back-to-back kills to extend Grand View's lead to 6-4. The Vikings continued their momentum as Domdei Goedert recorded a service ace to make it 16-12. Leandro added another kill, and the combination of Leandro and Rzepa blocked an attack to push the lead to 18-12.
Grand View led 21-14 before the Jaguars mounted a late rally. The Vikings called timeout at 24-22, and Sou closed out the opening set with a kill from Jake Winters, giving Grand View a 25-23 victory.
The second set saw Grand View battle through tight exchanges. Leandro and Davis contributed early kills to keep the Vikings competitive. Winters added a kill from Domdei Goedert to take the lead 8-7, and Marcus Taylor scored from Braden Booth to give Grand View a 9-7 advantage.
The set remained close throughout, with Winters connecting on multiple kills from Domdei Goedert. Sou added a kill from Leandro to make it 14-15, and Joshua Valencia contributed with timely plays. Despite fighting back to tie at various points, Grand View fell in the second set 25-22.
Facing a tied match, Grand View opened the third set strong. Sou scored early kills from Domdei Goedert, and the Vikings built an early lead. Leandro added back-to-back kills to extend Grand View's advantage to 6-3.
Adriano Roma Ripol came through with a crucial kill from Domdei Goedert, and Sou went on a dominant run with three consecutive kills to give the Vikings an 11-7 lead. Rzepa added a block to make it 12-7, and Domdei Goedert scored from the team to push the lead to 15-9.
Winters delivered a kill from Domdei Goedert, and Roma Ripol connected on kills from both Valencia and Domdei Goedert. Leandro and Winters closed out the set with back-to-back kills, giving Grand View a 25-14 victory and a 2-1 match lead.
In the fourth set, Grand View looked to close out the match. Leandro opened with a kill and added a service ace to give the Vikings an early 4-2 lead. Winters contributed a kill to make it 5-6, and Roma Ripol scored from Valencia to bring Grand View within 10-12.
The Vikings battled back as Leandro delivered multiple kills throughout the set. Taylor scored from Domdei Goedert to make it 18-19, and Leandro hit back-to-back kills to tie the match at 24-24.
With the set tied at 25-25, Winters came through with a crucial kill from Domdei Goedert. Rzepa and Sou combined for a block to give Grand View match point, and Rzepa finished the match with a decisive play, securing a 27-25 fourth set victory, and a match victory of 3-1.
MATCH NOTES
- Andre Lucas Alves Leandro hit .390 percent with 23 kills in the game.
- Jake Winters earned 14 kills and 6 digs to go with it.
- Guilherme Domdei Goedert led in assists with 46 and digs with 11
- FIRST WIN OF THE YOUNG SEASON!
UP NEXT
Grand View's next competition breaks into conference play, as they will take on Clarke Univeristy. That will be in Dubuque, Iowa on February 10th at 7:00 PM.
