No. 1 Seed Men's Volleyball Falls to No. 8 Seed Ottawa in Heart Quarterfinals

Marshall, Mo., (April 12, 2025)- The No. 1 seeded Missouri Valley College men's volleyball team hosted No. 8 seeded Ottawa (Kan.) in the quarterfinal round of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Postseason Tournament, Saturday afternoon.  The Vikings fell behind early, and eventually lost the contest by scores of 21-25, 23-25, 25-20, 23-25.

Game one began with the teams trading points through a 4-4 score.  Senior Middle Blocker Arthur Martineli (Curitiba, Brazil) put down a block for the first point of the contest, while Sophomore Outside Hitter Andrey Bastos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) added one kill and an ace.  Missouri Valley won three of the next four points, helped by one kill apiece from Sophomore Outside Hitter Davi Azevedo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Junior Opposite Samuel Essilfie (Tema, Ghana) and Bastos to move in front, 7-5.  Sophomore Middle Blocker Joao Tavares (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Bastos and Essilfie each had one kill over the next stretch as MVC held a 10-8 lead.  Ottawa answered back to win three of the next four points, and tied the game at 11-11.  The two teams went back to trading points, as Essilfie, Tavares, Martineli and Bastos all had one kill to help make it a 16-16 score.  The Braves went in front, taking three of the next four points, to hold a 19-17 advantage.  One kill from both Azevedo and Tavares tied the game at 19-19, while a block from Senior Setter Lucas Rodrigues (Balnelariu Cambriu, Brazil) and Taveres kept the teams even at 21-21.  The final four points of the game were all won by Ottawa, ending the opener at 25-21.

After an ace from OU started game two, Missouri Valley used three-straight errors from the Braves, including a block by Rodrigues and Martineli, to push ahead, 3-1.  Ottawa made the better of play through the next stretch, eventually holding a 10-8 lead.  Missouri Valley responded, and won six of the next seven points.  Bastos, Martineli and Azevedo each had one kill, while Martineli teamed up with Essilfie on a block to help MVC hold a 14-11 advantage.  The Braves followed with a six-point run to pull back in front, 17-14.  Missouri Valley eventually trailed 22-17 late in the game before working back.  Four-straight points, featuring one kill from Taveres and Bastos, along with a block from Rodrigues and Martineli, cut the deficit down to 22-21.  Martineli then finished off a block, and teamed up with Essilfie on a block to tie the score at 23-23.  Again, Ottawa held off the Vikings late, winning the final two points to take the second game, 25-23, and move ahead 2-0 in the match.

Needing a win in the third game to extend the contest, Missouri Valley fell into a deficit from the start, eventually trailing, 14-7.  The team began to chip away at the gap, as a block from Essilfie and Martineli, along with an ace by Rodrigues made it a 14-11 score.  Martineli added one kill, and teamed up with Azevedo on a block.  The run was continued and Freshman Middle Blocker Martin Tseyera (Salta, Argentina) took part in four blocks, teaming up with Azevedo twice and Essilfie on another block.  Azevedo put down one kill during a six-point run to send MVC on top, 19-16.  The Vikings stayed in control, and won four-straight points, helped by one kill from Azevedo and three more blocks.  Tseyera teamed up with Bastos and Rodrigues on two of the blocks, and a solo block from Rodrigues made it game-point.  A final service error from the Braves ended the game with a Missouri Valley win, 25-20, to extend the match.  Ottawa was limited to a .000 hitting percentage in the game.

Points were traded at the start of the fourth game, as Bastos, Martineli, Essilfie and Azevedo each had one kill, while Martineli put down a solo block to all help make it an 8-8 score.  Ottawa built up a lead from there, eventually to 13-11.  Missouri Valley won four-straight points, which included three-straight blocks from Tseyera, teaming up with Azevedo twice and another with Rodrigues, as the team claimed a 15-13 advantage.  The Braves briefly tied the game, but back-to-back kills from Tseyera and Essilfie sent MVC back in front, 17-15.  Ottawa responded to win six-straight points, and take a 21-17 advantage.  The Vikings then went on a run, as Martineli and Rodrigues teamed up on a pair of blocks to go with one kill from Essilfie to hold a 22-21 lead.  However, OU took control late, winning four of the final five points to close out a 25-23 win in the game, and a victory in the match.

Azevedo led with 14 kills to go with eight digs, while Essilfie had 10 kills and seven digs.  Bastos added nine kills and eight digs.  Rodrigues totaled 34 assists and nine digs, and Senior Libero Leonardo Leao (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) led with 15 digs.  Martineli was part of 10 blocks, and Teseyra was part of nine blocks in the match.  Missouri Valley totaled 21 total blocks and three aces.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 21-3 on the season, and snaps a 17-match winning streak.  Ottawa improves to 17-12 overall.

Up next, the Viking men's volleyball team will play in the 2025 NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship, set for April 29-May 3 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Missouri Valley earned an automatic berth as the Heart regular season champion, and will make the program's first appearance at the National tournament since 2021.

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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 t