Men's Volleyball Falls to No. 15 Mount Mercy in Close Games on the Road

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (Mar. 1, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's volleyball team traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Friday evening for a Heart of America Athletic Conference match against No. 15 Mount Mercy (Iowa). The Vikings won the opening game, but eventually fell by scores of 25-22, 22-25, 28-30, 21-25.

The first game started with both teams trading points through a 6-6 score, where Sophomore Right Side Luca Hasse (Paderborn, Germany), Freshman Outside Hitter Andrey Bastos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Senior Middle Blocker Daniel Isernhagen (Curitiba, Brazil) had two kills each during the run. The Mustangs won the three of the next four points to move in front, 10-8, but the Vikings used four Mount Mercy errors to take the lead, 12-10. Missouri Valley had another run winning four-straight points with back-to-back kills from Bastos to stretch the advantage out to 17-13. The two teams traded points through a 20-20 score, as Hasse added a kill and then teamed up with Senior Outside Hitter Oscar Manana (The Bronx, N.Y.) on a block to put the Vikings ahead, 22-20. Two errors by the Mustangs and a kill by Hasse helped Missouri Valley end game one, 25-22.

Mount Mercy went out in front in the second game, holding a 5-1 advantage. Manana added a kill and Freshman Outside Hitter Davi Azevedo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) came through with back-to-back aces to cut the Vikings deficit, 5-4. Points were traded over the next stretch of play with Bastos, Isernhagen and Azevedo recording one kill each, but Missouri Valley trailed, 13-11. MVC eventually tied the game at 16-16, however the Mustangs answered back winning four-straight points to make it a 20-16 score. The Vikings used a kill each from Isernhagen, Bastos and Junior Setter Lucas Rodrigues (Balnelariu Cambriu, Brazil) to keep the scoreboard close, 21-20. Mount Mercy stayed in front and won the final two points to earn a 25-22 win in game two.

Game three featured Missouri Valley building up an advantage. The Vikings used four errors by Mount Mercy and one kill each from Manana, Hasse and Isernhagen to put the team in front, 7-3. The Mustangs won seven of the next ten points to tie the game at 10-10. MVC responded with two kills by Azevedo and Manana, while Hasses landed another kill and a solo block putting the team ahead, 16-12. Mt. Mercy answered with a long run to come back and take a 21-19 lead. Two kills by Hasse and a kill from Bastos moved the team to game-point, but the Mustangs tied the game at 25-25. After going back and forth Mount Mercy eventually took game three, 30-28.

Needing a win in the fourth game to extend the match, both teams exchanged points through a 5-5 score. Missouri Valley totaled three kills from both Manana and Bastos and two errors by the Mustangs. The Vikings took five of the seven points to move ahead as Isernhagen had two kills and then teamed up with Rodrigues on a block to make it a 10-7 score. Mount Mercy responded winning the next six points to take the lead, but two kills from Hasse and a kill each by Bastos and Isernhagen tied the game again at 17-17. Both teams traded points through a 22-21 score but the Mustangs ended the game, winning three-straight points, 25-21.

Bastos led with 16 kills and nine digs, followed by Hasse with 14 kills and who was also part of four blocks. Isernhagen totaled eight kills, while Rodrigues had 42 assists and four kills. Manana and Azevedo had five kills each. Missouri Valley finished with four aces in the match.

Missouri Valley falls to 7-2 overall and 2-2 in the Heart. Mount Mercy improves to 14-3 on the season and 2-3 in the conference.

Up next, the Vikings men's volleyball team takes on Clarke (Iowa) in a conference match in Dubuque, Iowa, tomorrow (Saturday) at 12 p.m.

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About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.