No. 6 Men's Volleyball Rallies in National Tournament Win Over Georgetown

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (April 30, 2025)- The No. 6 seed Missouri Valley College men's volleyball team opened play at the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship with a Pool C match against No. 11 seed Georgetown (Ky.), Wednesday morning.   The Vikings fell behind early, but rallied in the final three games to win by scores of 19-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-12.

Missouri Valley used two kills from Junior Opposite Samuel Essilfie (Tema, Ghana) and another kill from Senior Middle Blocker Arthur Martineli (Curitiba, Brazil) to keep the teams tied at 3-3.  Georgetown won the next three-points, but MVC followed with a three-point run, including one kill from both Sophomore Middle Blocker Joao Tavares (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Senior Setter Lucas Rodrigues (Balnelariu Cambriu, Brazil) to push the team in front, 7-6.  Points were traded until three-straight from Georgetown sent the Vikings into an 11-9 deficit.  Missouri Valley eventually trailed by a 16-13 score, until two-straight kills from Sophomore Outside Hitter Andrey Bastos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and another kill by Essilfie gave MVC a 17-16 lead.  Georgetown took control from there, winning six of the next seven points.  Essilfie added one late kill, but Georgetown won the first game, 25-19.

Game two started with an early run for the Vikings, as two kills from Essilfie, another kill by Sophomore Outside Hitter Davi Azevedo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and a block from Martineli and Essilfie gave the team a 5-0 advantage.  Missouri Valley won three of four points later in the game, helped by one kill from Azevedo and an ace by Essilfie to keep the team in front, 8-4.  Georgetown chipped away at its deficit, and eventually got to within a 10-9 score.  Three-straight points for MVC that featured Martineli teaming up with both Essilfie and Bastos on blocks, and Essilfie landing one kill built up the team's lead to 13-9.  Points were traded, as Bastos and Essilfie had one kill apiece, and the advantage sat at 16-14.  Georgetown responded with a seven-point run to move in front, and hold a 21-16 advantage.  Missouri Valley was unable to work back from there, as the game ended at a 25-19 score.

Needing a win in the third game, Missouri Valley traded points with Georgetown through a 6-6 score.  Essilifie had three kills, while both Junior Opposite Luca Hasse (Paderborn, Germany) and Bastos added one kill each during the stretch.  The Vikings won three of the next four points, as Essilfie added one more kill, then stretched the advantage out to 12-9 on one more kill from Hasse.  The next several points were traded, as Essilfie had two more kills, and Hasse landed another kill to keep MVC on top, 18-17.  Georgetown won the next two points, and made it a 19-17 score, but Missouri Valley took control to close the game.  One kill from Bastos, and back-to-back kills from Essilfie sent the team in front, 21-19.  Another two kills from Hasse and one kill by Bastos gave the Vikings game-point.  Bastos ended the third game with a kill, and Missouri Valley won, 25-21, to extend the contest into a fourth game.  The Vikings hit at a match-high .400 percentage in the game.

Missouri Valley went on top early in the fourth game, as Martineli and Hasse had two kills, and Azevedo added one kill to make it 5-3.  Martineli added another kill, and several Georgetown errors helped MVC sit in front, 9-6.  The Vikings gradually built up their advantage, which featured a block from Freshman Middle Blocker Martin Teseyra (Salta, Argentina) and Rodrigues, along with two kills from Azevedo, and one kill by Hasse to put the score at 16-11.  Georgetown won three-straight points, to trail, 16-14, but MVC responded.  Three-straight errors, including a block from Azevedo and Martineli, to go with back-to-back kills from Azevedo opened the lead to 21-14.  Georgetown trimmed down its deficit, winning five-straight points.  However, the final three points of the game were won by Missouri Valley, as Hasse had one kill and one ace, to seal a 25-19 win, and send the match into a fifth game.

The fifth game began with the teams trading points, as Georgetown held a 4-3 lead.  Azevedo then put down one kill, followed by a block by Teserya and Rodrigues, along with one kill from Teysera to give MVC a 6-4 advantage.  Essilfie had two kills over the next stretch, as the teams were tied at 9-9.  The next three points were won by Missouri Valley, as Azevedo had two-straight kills.  An ace by Essilfie and a service error from Georgetown gave the Vikings match-point.  Azevedo added one final kill, ending the game, 15-12, and Missouri Valley finished off its comeback victory, winning 3-2 in games.

Essilfie led with a double-double of 20 kills and 15 digs, while Azevedo had a double-double of 17 kills and 10 digs.  Hasse also recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs.  Bastos finished with 12 kills on a .360 hitting percentage.  Rodrigues led the team with 36 assists, while Freshman Setter Matheus Curi (Ribierao Preto, Brazil) had a double-double of 20 assists and 10 digs.  Senior Libero Leonardo Leao (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) led with 26 digs.  Missouri Valley totaled 10 blocks and three aces as a team.

Missouri Valley improves to 22-3 on the season, and Georgetown drops to 24-5.

Up next, the Viking men's volleyball team will play its final pool match, against No. 3 seed Lawrence Tech (Mich.), Thursday at 10 a.m., in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  A win by Missouri Valley sends the team into the National semifinal round.

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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.