No. 10 Men's Volleyball Sweeps Simpson in Season Opener

Jamestown, N.D., (Feb. 6, 2025)- The No. 10 Missouri Valley College men's volleyball team began the 2025 season with one match at the Jamestown (N.D.) Invitational, Thursday.  The Vikings swept Simpson (Calif.) for the first win of the season.

The first game started with Missouri Valley falling behind by a 6-1 score.  The Vikings worked back into the game, using one kill and one ace from Sophomore Middle Blocker Joao Tavares (Sao Paulo, Brazil) to bring the team into a 7-6 deficit.  Junior Opposite Luca Hasse (Paderborn, Germany) put down the next kill for MVC, followed by a block from Freshman Outside Hitter Guilherme Lorenzini (Florianopolis, Brazil) and Freshman Middle Blocker Martin Tseyera (Salta, Argentina).  Lorenzini then put down one kill to tie the teams at 9-9.  After Simpson briefly went back on topp, 10-9, a three-point run featuring one kill from both Tseyera and Tavares helped move the Viking on top, 12-10.  Another three-point run, this time including one kill from Freshman Outside Hitter Tymoteusz Zadeberny (Gliwice, Poland) and Senior Libero Leonardo Leao (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), along with one ace from Hasse made it a 15-13 advantage.  Simpson kept close, and made it a 16-15 score moments later.  The score was eventually tied at 18-18, and the teams traded points through 20-20.  Tavares landed two-straight kills, then teamed up with Senior Setter Lucas Rodrigues (Balnelariu Cambriu, Brazil) on a block. a Simpson error moved MVC to game-point, and a final ace from Zadeberny ended the opening game, 25-21, in favor of the Vikings.

Missouri Valley got out in front at the start of the second game, helped by two kills from Hasse, who later teamed up with Tavares on a block.  Tavares put down a solo block, and Lorenzini added one more kill as the Vikings held an 8-2 advantage.  Simpson chipped down its deficit over the next stretch of play, to eventually trail 10-8.  Hasse had the next kill for MVC, followed by one kill from Lorenzini, who then worked with Tseyera on a block to eventually make it a 15-10 score.  Missouri Valley pulled away from there, as Hasse landed four more kills through the rest of the game, and teamed up with Tseyera on a block.  Tseyera landed two kills, and a 10-2 run to close out the second game was capped on a block from Tavares and Zadeberny to end a 25-13 win.

Going for a sweep in game three, Missouri Valley started in a 4-1 deficit.  One kill from Zadeberny opened a 5-1 run for MVC, which included one ace from Leao, as the team moved ahead, 6-5.  The two teams traded points, as the Vikings stayed on top, 10-9.  Tseyera put down two kills, then teamed up with Hasse to finish out three-straight points and stretch the lead to 13-9.  Hasse and Lorenzini had the next two kills, but Simpson stayed within a 16-14 deficit.  Simpson committed three errors over the next stretch, and a kill from Tavares allowed MVC to hold a 21-15 lead.  Missouri Valley pulled away late, as two-straight aces from Zaderberny and one Simpson error gave the team match-point.  One more kill from Tavares ended the contest with a 25-17 score in the third game in favor of the Vikings.

Lorenzini had 10 kills on a .471 hitting percentage, and Hasse had 10 kills on a .368 hitting percentage.  Rodrigues led with 19 assists, and added five digs.  Leao had nine digs to lead the team.  Missouri Valley limited Simpson to a .093 hitting percentage, with eight total blocks.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 1-0 on the season, while Simpson falls to 0-3.

Up next, the Viking men's volleyball team plays two matches at the Jamestown Invitational, Friday.  First contest against No. 7 Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.) starts at 1 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m., match against Jamestown.

Box Score-Click Here

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.