Women's Volleyball Sweeps Two Opponents at Home Triangular

Marshall, Mo., (Sept. 23, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team welcomed in a pair of opponents into the Burns Athletic Complex for a Family Weekend Triangular Saturday evening.  The Vikings swept past Clarke (Iowa) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference contest, and held off College of the Ozarks (Mo.) for a non-conference sweep.

The first game against Clarke started with Missouri Valley building up an early lead.  Junior Outside Hitter Juliana Oliviera (Ribeirao Preto, Brazil) put down one kill, followed by one kill from Junior Outside Hitter Jisell Chumacero (Greeley, Colo.).  Junior Right Side Maria Bertholdo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) landed one kill, while Chumacero finished off an ace and Oliviera added one more kill to push the Viking lead to 9-4.  Clarke worked back, and sat in a 13-11 deficit later in the game.  Missouri Valley responded by taking the next four points, which included one kill from both Senior Outside Hitter Ksenija Simun (Kotor, Montenegro) and Chumacero, while Oliviera finished off a block to make it a 17-11 score.  The Vikings continued to pull away from there, as Bertholdo added two-straight kills, with one kill each from Sophomore Middle Blocker Nekane Parera (Barcelona, Spain) and Oliviera giving the team a 21-14 advantage.  Freshman Defensive Specialist Ana Franco put down two aces to seal the game, 25-15, for Missouri Valley.

Points were traded through much of the second game.  Missouri Valley won four-straight points, including two aces from Franco, to hold an 8-6 lead, then won three-straight points, featuring one kill from Simun to stay on top, 11-10.  The teams stayed close at an 18-18 score, but MVC responded with a run.  Senior Defensive Specialist Jeanie Palsis (Nanakuli, Hawaii) landed an ace, followed by a kill from Simun to help win four-straight points and move ahead, 22-18.  Chumacero put down the final kill for the Vikings, and two late Clarke errors ended the game, 25-22.

Missouri Valley was searching for the sweep in game three, and won the opening six points.  Oliviera had two kills, while Simun added two aces and one kill to give the team a 6-0 advantage.  An eight-point run midway through the game allowed MVC to take control.  Palsis had three aces during the stretch of play, while Chumacero and Simun each finished off one kill as the score sat at 19-4.  Missouri Valley closed out the game from there, including one kill from Simun, Bertholdo, Parera and Oliviera to end things, 25-6, giving the team a sweep.  The Vikings hit at a .475 percentage in the game, and held the Pride to a -.188 percentage.

Simun led with 11 kills and nine digs.  Oliviera had 10 kills, on a .350 hitting percentage, and seven digs.  Junior Setter Lynsey Day (Kingman, Ariz.) totaled 31 assists and nine digs.  Missouri Valley had 14 total aces in the game and held Clarke to a -.097 hitting percentage.

The second match against College of the Ozarks started with Missouri Valley falling into a 10-6 deficit.  The team pulled in front with a five-point run, including one kill from Simun and one ace from Palsis to make it an 11-10 score.  The Vikings gradually built up their advantage from there, as Olviera had two kills, then teamed up with Parera on a block to give the team an 18-15 lead.  College of the Ozarks then won four of the next five points to tie the game at 19-19.  Junior Middle Blocker Emma Schulte (Marshall, Mo.), Simun and Chumacero each had one kill to move the team back on top, 22-19.  College of the Ozarks go to within a 23-22 deficit, but a service error and a Bertholdo kill ended game one, 25-22, in favor of the Vikings.

Game two began with College of the Ozarks going in front early, 8-5.  Missouri Valley came back with four-straight points, featuring one kill from both Schulte and Simun, to give the team a 9-8 lead.  A five-point run later in the game, with two kills from Simun and an ace from Day, allowed MVC to build a 14-11 advantage.  Missouri Valley was able to maintain its lead until late in the game.  Sitting at game-point, 24-21, after back-to-back kills from Chumacero and Simun, College of the Ozarks responded, and won four-straight to hold its first game point, 25-24.  Chumacero and Oliviera answered with one kill apiece, and MVC gained another game-point.  In all, MVC held five game-points, and won on an ace from Oliviera to finish at 30-28.

College of the Ozarks bounced back at the start of the third game, and gained a 6-5 advantage.  Bertholdo had one kill and two aces, while Day put down one kill, to help the team win four-straight points and move ahead, 9-6.  Another four-point run, including one kill from both Oliviera and Day, and an ace from Franco, stretched the lead out to 13-8.  Missouri Valley maintained its distance from College of the Ozarks, and won four of five points during a stretch of play to pull away.  Chumacero landed two kills, while Bertholdo had one kill.  Simun finished off an ace to end the run, as the score sat at 20-14.  Two late errors from College of the Ozarks ended the game, 25-21, to secure the sweep for the Vikings.

Oliviera led with 13 kills to go with four digs.  Simun had nine kills and seven digs, and Chumacero hit at a .538 percentage to earn eight kills.  Day had 32 assists and five digs, while Palsis led with 12 digs.  Missouri Valley totaled eight aces and two blocks.

The pair of wins move Missouri Valley to 8-10 overall and 2-4 in the Heart.

Up next, the Viking women's volleyball team hosts MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) in a Heart match, Tuesday at 7 p.m., inside the Burns Athletic Complex.

Clarke Box Score-Click Here

College of the Ozarks 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.