Women's Volleyball Falls at Home to No. 20 Central Methodist

Marshall, Mo., (Sept. 19, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team welcomed in No. 20 Central Methodist (Mo.) to the Burns Athletic Complex Tuesday evening for a Heart of America Athletic Conference match.  The Vikings fell in three games by scores of 9-25, 21-25, 22-25.

The first game of the night started with Central Methodist winning the opening five points.  Missouri Valley worked back to a 7-4 deficit after two kills from Junior Outside Hitter Maria Bertholdo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Junior Outside Hitter Juliana Oliviera (Ribeirao Preto, Brazil).  The Eagles responded and won five of the next six points to make it a 12-5 score.  Oliviera ended the CMU run with a kill, but the Viking deficit eventually grew to 18-5 later in the game.  Missouri Valley was unable to rally late, and Central Methodist won the opener, 25-9.

The Vikings started the second game by going on top early, helped by a pair of blocks from Junior Outside Hitter Jisell Chumacero (Greeley, Colo.) and Bertholdo to put the team ahead, 3-1.  The two teams traded points over the next stretch, as Bertholdo, Sophomore Middle Blocker Nekane Parera (Barcelona, Spain) and Senior Outside Hitter Ksenija Simun (Kotor, Montenegro) each had one kill to keep the team in front, 7-6.  Central Methodist came back and won the next eight points to build a 14-7 advantage.  The Vikings responded later in the game, and claimed seven of eight points during a stretch of play.  Bertholdo put down a pair of kills, while Oliviera and Chumacero added one kill apiece.  Simun landed an ace during the run, and MVC went back on top, 15-14.  Points were traded from there, as Chumacero, Oliviera and Parera each had one kill.  Another kill from Simun allowed the Vikings to claim a 20-19 lead late in the game.  The Eagles followed with another run, this time taking four-straight points, and six of the final seven points overall to come out in front, 25-21.

Needing a win in the third game to extend the match, the Vikings fell behind, 4-1, early.  Three-straight CMU errors allowed the team to come back and tie the score, while a Parera kill and two more Eagle errors moved MVC on top, 7-6.  Junior Setter Lynsey Day (Kingman, Ariz.) followed with one kill to help keep the teams tied at 9-9.  Central Methodist then won three-straight to hold a 12-9 advantage.  Missouri Valley eventually trailed by a 14-10 score before working back into the game.  Chumacero put down an ace, while Oliviera and Parera teamed up on a block.  Parera finished off one kill to tie the teams at 15-15.  Two-straight kills from Chumacero moved MVC ahead, 19-18.  Central Methodist responded, and won five-straight points to sit in front, 23-19.  The Vikings answered by winning three of the next four points, including one kill each from Simun, Bertholdo and Oliviera to close the gap to 24-22.  However, the next point went to Central Methodist to close out a 25-22 game, and sweep the match.

Bertholdo led with seven kills, and added six digs.  Oliviera had six kills and seven digs.  Day led with 19 assists, and Senior Libero Momoko Yokoyama (Tokyo, Japan) totaled 14 digs.  Missouri Valley had three aces and three blocks as a team.

Missouri Valley drops to 6-9 overall and 1-3 in the Heart.  Central Methodist improves to 9-5 on the season and 3-1 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking women's volleyball team hosts Mount Mercy (Iowa), Friday at 7 p.m., in a Heart contest.

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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.