Women's Volleyball Splits Opening Matches at Phoenix Open

Lebanon, Tenn., (August 16, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team opened its 2024 season with a pair of matches, Saturday, at the Phoenix Classic in Lebanon, Tenn.  The Vikings defeated Fist (Tenn.) in four games, but fell to Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) in four games.

Missouri Valley started its game against Fisk by taking control early in the first game.  Senior Outside Hitter Ksenija Simun (Kotor, Montenegro) put down two kills and added an ace, while Junior Middle Hitter Kinga Ramonowicz (Krepiec, Poland) and Senior Outside Hitter Ana Oro (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina) each added one kill to put the team in front, 5-1.  The two teams traded points over the next stretch of play until a 10-6 score.  The Vikings gradually added to their lead from there, as Oro had two kills, Simun added one kill and the pair of Junior Setter Ana Santos (Curitiba, Brazil) and Senior Middle Hitter Emma Schulte (Marshall, Mo.) teamed up on a block to put the advantage at 17-9.  Schulte added one kill and Oro landed back-to-back aces to give the team a double-digit lead, 20-10.  The Vikings won five of the final six points, featuring one kill each from Schulte, Senior Right Side Bea Bartolome (Madrid, Spain), Senior Middle Hitter Alanah Best (Lima, Ohio) and Simun to close out a 25-12 win.  The team hit at a .419 percentage in the game.

Fisk went in front early in the second game, holding a 6-3 advantage.  Four-straight points were won by Missouri Valley, as Oro put down two kills, Bartolome added one kill and Santos finished off an ace to move the team on top, 7-6.  Points were traded over the next stretch of play, until Fisk reclaimed the lead at 12-10.  Oro added the next two kills for Missouri Valley, and helped to tie the teams at 14-14.  Fisk again moved ahead, winning four-straight, and eventually making it a 20-16 score.  A late kill, followed by an ace from Simun allowed MVC to tie the game at 21-21, but Fisk won the final four points to take the game, 25-21 and tie the match.

Game three opened with Fisk again going in front early, at a 6-2 score.  Missouri Valley eventually trailed, 8-4, before working back.  Schulte started a four-point run with a block, and the teams were tied at 8-8.  The Vikings claimed their first lead of the game after a kill from Oro made it 11-10, then Santos landed on kill to start five-point run, which was capped by an ace from Junior Defensive Specialist Avery Crain (Shell Knob, Mo.) to make it 16-11.  Missouri Valley took control late, as six-straight points, featuring a kill from Schulte, who then teamed up with Bartolome on a block, and two-straight aces from Oro to make it 23-13.  The final two points for the Vikings were won on Fisk service errors to close out a 25-18 win.

Missouri Valley jumped in front at the start of the fourth game, as Bartolome and Ramonowicz each landed one kill, and Junior Defensive Specialist Ana Franco (Cascais, Brazil) put down an ace.  Simun followed with one kill and one ace to make it a 5-2 lead.  The teams traded points through much of the game until MVC held a 12-8 advantage.  Fisk answered, and won eight-straight points to pull on in front, 16-12.  The Vikings responded, as Oro had three kills, and Santos finished off an ace to put the team back on top, 20-18.  Fisk again went on a run, winning five of six points to make it 23-21, and then held the first game-point at 24-23.  Simun laded two-straight kills to eventually tie the teams at 25-25, and from there game points were traded until a 30-30 score.  Simun landed one more ace to give MVC its final game-point, and a Fisk error ended the game, 32-30, to give Missouri Valley the win by 3-1 in matches.

Oro led with a double-double of 19 kills and 14 digs.  Simun had 14 kills and eight digs, while Schulte totaled 11 kills on a .556-hitting percentage.  Senior Libero Momoko Yokoyama (Tokyo, Japan) led with 26 digs, and Santos had 52 assists.  

In the opening game against Blue Mountain Christian, the two teams traded points through a 4-4 score.  After the Toppers briefly held a two-point lead, Missouri Valley followed with a run, as one kill from both Senior Middle Hitter Emma Schulte (Marshall, Mo.) and Senior Outside Hitter Ksenija Simun (Kotor, Montenegro), along with three BMC errors allowed the team to win five-straight points and move in front, 9-6.  Junior Middle Hitter Kinga Ramonowicz (Krepiec, Poland) added another kill to make it a 10-7 score, but the Toppers followed with a run of their own.  Eleven of 12 points went to Blue Mountain Christian over a stretch of play in the game to put MVC in a 19-12 deficit.  Missouri Valley chipped away at the gap, helped by two kills and an ace from Senior Outside Hitter Ana Oro (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina), and one block from Schulte to sit in a 21-18 deficit.  However, BMC won the final four points of the match to take game one, 25-18.

After falling in the second game, by a 25-11 score, Missouri Valley needed a win in the third game to extend the match.  Blue Mountain Christian opened the game with an early 6-3 advantage.  The Vikings responded with a run, as Oro landed a pair of aces, while both Schulte and Simun put down one kill each to help win five-straight point and move the team on top, 8-6.  The two teams traded points over the next stretch of play, as MVC stayed ahead, 13-10.  After the Toppers worked back to a one-point deficit, Missouri Valley went on another five-point run, helped by one kill each from Oro and Simun, to make it an 18-12 score.  The Vikings held on to their lead late in the game, as Simun landed the final four kills to secure a 25-16 win.

Game four featured Blue Mountain Christian going in front early, and holding a 9-1 lead.  Senior Right Side Bea Bartolome (Madrid, Spain) had one kill, and Simun added two more kills over the next stretch to work the gap down to 12-7.  The Toppers kept their distance through the rest of the game, as MVC was never able to trail by any less than five points.  Blue Mountain Christian closed out the game, 25-19, to win the match.

Simun led with 13 kills, and added nine digs.  Ramonowicz totaled eight kills, while Schulte added seven kills.  Senior Libero Momoko Yokoyama (Tokyo, Japan) led with 24 digs, while Oro had 17 digs to go with six kills and four aces.  Junior Setter Ana Santos (Curitiba, Brazil) led with 31 assists, and added eight digs.

Missouri Valley moves to 1-1 after the two matches.

Up next the Missouri Valley women's volleyball continues play at the Phoenix Classic in Lebanon, Tenn., with two matches, Saturday. First match against William Carey (Miss.) starts at 9 a.m., followed by a match with host Cumberland (Tenn.), at 1 p.m.

Blue Mountain Box Score-Click Here

Fisk 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.

005