Women's Volleyball Sweeps Past Southwester

Marshall, Mo., (Aug. 25, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team hosted Southwestern (Kan.) in the first game of the Viking Invitational Friday evening inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The Vikings swept to a victory by scores of 25-10, 25-16, 25-21.

The first game started with the two teams trading points early.  Junior Outside Hitter Jisell Chumacero (Greeley, Colo.) put down the first kill for Missouri Valley, followed by a kill from Senior Outside Hitter Ksenija Simun (Koto, Montenegro) to help tie the contest at 3-3.  Missouri Valley went on a run from there, taking seven of the next eight points.  Junior Outside Hitter Maria Bertholdo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) finished off an ace, while Junior Setter Lynsey Day (Kingman, Ariz.) and Sophomore Middle Blocker Nekane Parera (Barcelona, Spain) teamed up on a block during the stretch.  The run was capped by one kill from Simun, and MVC led, 10-4.  The Vikings maintained their lead from there, and stretched it out to 15-6 after two kills from Junior Outside Hitter Juliana Oliviera (Ribeirao Preto, Brazil) and one kill from both Chumacero and Day.  The advantage topped double-digits for a first time after a Simun kill made it 18-8.  Missouri Valley continued to pull away from there, helped by an ace and one kill from Bertholdo, along with one kill from both Simun and Parera.  Two-straight late aces from Simun moved MVC to game-point, and a Southwestern error finished off a 25-10 win.  Southwestern was limited to a -.241 hitting percentage in the game.

Missouri Valley jumped out to an early lead in the second game, as Oliviera finished off three kills and Bertholdo added another kill to help make it a 6-1 score.  Southwestern answered back with four-straight points to cut the deficit.  Chumacero ended the run with a kill, followed by another kill from Bertholdo.  An ace from Chumacero moved the advantage out to 9-5.  Southestern got back to within a 10-8 deficit, but the next three points went to Missouri Valley.  Simun and Parera put down one kill each, and a Southwestern error stretched the advantage out to 13-8.  The two teams traded the next few points, through a 16-12 score.  The Vikings took control from there, helped by one kill from both Bertholdo and Oliviera, and two kills from Parera to put the lead at 20-12.  Southwestern was unable to rally late, while Bertholdo had one kill and one ace towards the end of the game.  Simun got MVC to game-point, and Oliviera finished off one more kill to end the game, 25-16, and put the team up 2-0 in the contest.

Going for the sweep in the third game, Missouri Valley used a pair of Chumacero kills to hold an early 4-2 advantage.  Southwestern answered back by taking four-straight points and going on top, 6-4.  The Vikings responded by winning four of the next five points, which included two kills and an ace from Simun, along with one kill from Oliviera to move MVC ahead, 8-7.  Missouri Valley pulled away over the next stretch, taking six of the following seven points.  Oliviera, Bertholdo, Chumacero and Simun each had one kill during the run, while Senior Defensive Specialist Jeanie Palsis (Nanakuli, Hawaii) layed down an ace to put the lead out to 14-8.  Southwestern tried to chip away at its deficit, and worked back to a 19-16 score late in the game.  A Parera kill made it 22-16, but Southwestern won four of the next five points to sit in a 23-20 deficit.  The Vikings held off a late rally attempt, and Bertholdo ended the contest with one more kill to finish the third game, 25-21, to give Missouri Valley the sweep.  The Vikings hit at a match-high .375 percentage in the game.

Leading the team was Simun, who totaled 11 kills and eight digs.  Bertholdo had nine kills and nine digs, while Oliviera added nine kills and six digs.  Chumacero finished with eight kills and seven digs, while Parera added seven kills and a team-high .462 hitting percentage.  Day had a double-double of 34 assists and 12 digs, both team-highs, and Palsis had 10 digs.  Missouri Valley finished with eight aces as a team, and limited Southwestern to a .010 hitting percentage.

Missouri Valley improves to 3-0 with the win and Southwestern sits at 2-2 on the season.

Viking Invitational:

Graceland (Iowa) defeated Friends (Kan.): 25-11, 19-25, 26-24, 16-25, 15-12

Southwestern (Kan.) defeated Clarke (Iowa): 25-19, 25-18, 25-18

Up next, the Vikings will play two more games Saturday, hosting Tabor (Kan.) at 9 a.m., followed by a game with Friends (Kan.) at 5 p.m.

 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.