No. 3 Men's Volleyball Secures First-Ever Heart Title With Win Over Ottawa

Marshall, Mo., (April 8, 2025)- The No. 3 Missouri Valley College men's volleyball team hosted Ottawa (Kan.) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference match to close the regular season, Tuesday evening.  The Vikings went to four games, and earned a win by scores of 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22 to secure the program's first Heart title, and earn an automatic berth into the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship.

Missouri Valley got out in front early in the first game, as three-straight Ottawa errors, including a block from Senior Middle Blocker Arthur Martineli (Curitiba, Brazil) made it a 3-0 score.  Sophomore Outside Hitter Andrey Bastos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) put down the first MVC kill, followed by one kill from Junior Opposite Samuel Essilfie (Tema, Ghana) as the team increased its lead to 8-5.  The Braves closed the gap down to 8-7, but Missouri Valley followed with a run.  Sophomore Middle Blocker Joao Tavares (Sao Paulo, Brazil) put down two aces, while Bastos and Sophomore Outside Hitter Davi Azevedo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) added one kill apiece during a six-point run to move the advantage to 14-7.  The two teams traded points over the next stretch of play, as one kill from Essilfie, Azevedo and Bastos brought MVC to a 22-14 lead.  Ottawa began to chip away, and won five of six points late in the game to sit at a 24-22 deficit.  The game ended on the next point, as Azevedo finished off a kill to give Missouri Valley a 25-22 win.

Game two began with Ottawa going in front, and maintaining an advantage through a 9-8 score.  One kill from Bastos and a block by Martineli pushed Missouri Valley on top, 10-9.  The Vikings won four of five points, as Essilfie landed two kills, Azevedo added one kill and the pair of Tavares and Senior Setter Lucas Rodrigues (Balnelariu Cambriu, Brazil) finished off a block to extend the advantage to 15-12.  The Braves answered back, and won three-straight points to tie the teams at 17-17.  Missouri Valley followed with a five-point run, as Essilfie had two kills, Martineli and Bastos teamed up on a block and Rodrigues landed an ace to make it a 22-17 score.  The Vikings maintained a lead to finish out the game, and one more Essilfie kill gave the team a 25-21 win.

Needing a win in the third game to extend the match, Ottawa started with three-straight points, and eventually sat in front, 4-2.  Back-to-back kills from Essilfie moved MVC ahead, 5-4, and the two teams traded the next series of points.  The Braves won four of five points midway through the game, and went on top, 12-10.  Ottawa kept its lead through a 17-15 score, but the Vikings responded by taking four of the next five points.  Essilfie had two kills and Bastos added one kill as the team reclaimed the advantage at 19-18.  Tavares added a late kill to give MVC a 22-21 lead, but OU ended the game with a run.  Ottawa won four of the final five points and earned a 25-23 win to send the contest into a fourth game.

Missouri Valley gradually built up an early advantage in the fourth game, as Essilfie landed three kills, Martineli had one kill and Azevedo finished off one kill and one block to put the score at 7-4.  A four-point run for MVC, featuring one kill and two aces by Essilfie, and a block from Tavares and Rodrigues, made it an 11-6 lead.  Ottawa worked the gap down to 14-11, but the Vikings won four of the next five points.  Bastos and Azevedo had one kill each, and MVC stayed in front, 19-13.  A three-point run late in the game, helped by one Azevedo kill and a Tavares block made it a 23-15 score.  The Braves tried to rally late, and won seven of the next eight points to sit at a 24-22 deficit.  The contest ended on the next point, as Essilfie added a final kill and finished off a 25-22 win in the game, and a 3-2 victory in the match.

Essilfie led with a career-high 27 kills, on a .393 percentage, and added nine digs.  The 27 kills in the match is the second-most in a single-game in program-history, trailing only 31 kills from Ivan Zlatkov in a match against Missouri Baptist in 2008.  Bastos had 14 kills and six digs, while Azevedo finished with 11 kills.  Rodrigues led with 46 assists, and totaled nine digs.  Senior Libero Leonardo Leao (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) finished with career-high 21 digs.  Missouri Valley finished with eight blocks and six aces.

The win ends the regular season at 21-2 overall and 17-2 in the Heart for Missouri Valley.  Ottawa moves to 16-12 on the season and 9-10 in the Heart.  Missouri Valley clinched the program's first Heart regular season title, earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Heart Postseason Tournament, and secures an automatic berth into the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship, set for April 29-May 3 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  The Vikings last appeared at the National tournament back in 2021.

Up next, the team will host a quarterfinal round contest in the Heart Postseason Tournament, as the No. 1 seed.  The opponent will be No. 8 seeded Ottawa, with the match set for Saturday at 2 p.m., inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The Vikings defeated the Braves in both regular season meetings.

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About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.