OSKALOOSA, IOWA - The Vikings traveled to Oskaloosa for a Heart of America Conference Tournament Quarterfinal matchup against William Penn at the Penn Activity Center on Saturday afternoon. In a rematch of a regular season split, fifth-seeded Grand View took down fourth-seeded William Penn in four sets, 27-25, 21-25, 25-14, 25-17, advancing in the tournament and settling the season series in their favor.

The opening set was a back-and-forth thriller. William Penn jumped out to a 2-10 lead, forcing an early Grand View timeout, but the Vikings refused to fold. Jake Winters and Andre Lucas Alves Leandro sparked a rally, and Grand View chipped away to pull within striking distance. The two teams traded points the rest of the way, tying the set at 24-24 before Leandro delivered back-to-back kills and the final one set up by a block from Chris Davis and Jonathan Rzepa to close out a dramatic 27-25 victory.

The second set saw William Penn return the favor. The Statesmen came out with a dominant blocking performance, jumping ahead 0-4 to start before Grand View rallied to tie it at 7-7. The Vikings could never fully shake the Statesmen, and William Penn pulled away late, closing out the set 25-21 to even the match.

The third set was all Grand View. Pietro Fadanelli took over, delivering kill after kill as the Vikings built a commanding lead. Consecutive blocks from Leandro and Marcus Taylor helped push the advantage to 9-6, and Grand View went on a stunning run from there, rattling off eleven of twelve points to push their lead to 20-11 and force back-to-back William Penn timeouts. Fadanelli closed out the dominant 25-14 victory to give Grand View a 2-1 series lead.

The fourth set saw Grand View put the match away early and emphatically. Pietro Fadanelli delivered two service aces to open the set, and the Vikings raced out to an 8-1 lead before calling their own timeout to stay focused. Grand View never looked back, with Winters, Leandro, and Fadanelli delivering key kills throughout. Despite a brief William Penn push late in the set, Bernardo Luis Marostica capped the victory with a service ace to close out the match 25-17 and send the Vikings through to the next round of the Heart of America Tournament.

GAME NOTES

• Andre Lucas Alves Leandro (13 kills, 8 digs, 8 blocks)
• Bernardo Luis Marostica (19 assists, 1 ace, 1 dig)
• Jake Winters (12 digs, 11 kills, 1 block)
• Pietro Fadanelli (14 kills, 2 aces, 9 digs)
• Cheikh Sou (7 kills, 4 digs, 1 block)