Women's Volleyball Falls to MidAmerica Nazarene in Pink Out Game

Marshall, Mo., (Oct. 15, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team hosted MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference match Tuesday evening inside the Burns Athletic Complex in a Pink Out Game.  The Vikings extended the match into a fourth game, but fell by scores of 15-25, 16-25, 26-24, 15-25.

Game one started with the teams trading points early.  Junior Middle Hitter Patrysia Uzoma (Moscow, Russia) put down the first kill for Missouri valley, followed by one kill from Senior Outside Hitter Ksenija Simun (Kotor, Montenegro) and two kills from Junior Middle Hitter Kinga Ramonowicz (Krepiec, Poland) to put the team in a 5-4 deficit.  MidAmerica Nazarene responded to win six of the next seven points and sit with an 11-5 advantage.  The Vikings eventually trailed by a 19-8 score.  Ramonowicz came back with a kill, then teamed up with Senior Right Side Bea Bartolome (Madrid, Spain) on a block.  Simun landed one kill and MVC cut the gap down to 19-12.  Simun added two more kills late in the game, but the Pioneers won the opener, 25-15.

Missouri Valley fell behind early in the second game, trailing 10-3.  Six of the next seven points were won by MVC, featuring a block from Senior Middle Hitter Emma Schulte (Marshall, Mo.) and Senior Middle Hitter Alanah Best (Lima, Ohio).  Junior Setter Ana Santos (Curitiba, Brazil) finished off an ace, while Best added one kill as the Viking now sat in an 11-9 deficit.  MidAmerica Nazarene gradually built up its advantage from there, and held a double-digit lead, 23-13.  Simun and Ramonowicz had one late kill each, but MNU took the second game, 25-16.

Needing a win in the third game to extend the match, the Vikings traded points with the Pioneers through a 9-9 score.  Junior Outside Hitter Blanca Arciniega Palma (El Paso, Texas) had three kills, while both Simun and Ramonowicz finished off two kills each, and Schulte landed a solo block during the stretch of play.  MidAmerica Nazarene followed by taking five of the next six points to make it a 14-10 score.  Missouri Valley worked back into the game as Freshman Right Side Harper Herring (Jacksonville, Fla.), Palma, Ramonowicz and Senior Defensive Specialist Momoko Yokoyama (Tokyo, Japan) all had one kill to bring the gap down to 19-17.  The Pioneers jumped out to a 22-19 lead to try and close the match out. Schulte put down one kill, and back-to-back MNU errors tied the game at 22-22.  MidAmerica Nazarene held match-point, 24-23, but MVC won the final three points.  A service error tied the score, then Palma ended the game with two-straight kills to give Missouri Valley a 26-24 win to extend the match.

An early kill from both Uzoma and Schulte helped the Vikings briefly go on top at the start of the fourth game, 3-2.  The Pioneers then won seven of the next eight points to move ahead, 9-4.  MidAmerica Nazarene built on its advantage from there, eventually going on a six-point run to make it a 20-7 score.  Herring added three kills late in the game, and Ramonowicz put down a pair of kills, but the Pioneers defeated Missouri Valley, 25-15, to win the game and the match.

Ramonowicz led with 10 kills and eight digs, while Palma had 10 kills and six digs.  Simun added nine kills and nine digs.  Sophomore Setter Paige Siebert (St. Louis, Mo.) recorded a double-double of 18 assists and 12 digs.  Senior Setter Mencia Medio (Gijon, Spain) added 14 assists, and Santos had 11 assists.  Junior Libero Ana Franco (Cascais, Portugal) totaled 30 digs, topping the 30-dig mark for the second time this season.  Missouri Valley had three blocks and three aces as a team.

Missouri Valley drops to 13-10 overall and 5-5 in the Heart.  MidAmerica Nazarene improves to 12-11 on the season and 6-5 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking women's volleyball hosts Baker (Kan.) in a Heart match, Saturday at 6 p.m., inside the Burns Athletic Complex.

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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.