No. 6 Seed Men's Volleyball Drops Semifinal Match to No. 2 Seed Saint Xavier

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (May 2, 2025)- The No. 6 seed Missouri Valley College men's volleyball team continued play at the 2025 NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with a semifinal round match against No. 2 seed Saint Xavier (Ill.), Friday evening.  The Vikings fell into an early deficit, and dropped the match by scores of 18-25, 13-25, 25-11, 20-25.

The opening game started with the two teams trading points as four Saint Xavier errors and one kill from both Junior Opposite Luca Hasse (Paderborn, Germany) and Sophomore Outside Hitter Andrey Bastos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) kept Missouri Valley within a 7-6 deficit.  Saint Xavier began to increase its advantage, and won four of the next five points to make it an 11-7 score.  One kill from Junior Opposite Samuel Essilfie (Tema, Ghana) and a block by Senior Setter Lucas Rodrigues (Balnelariu Cambriu, Brazil) brought the gap down to 11-9.  Essilfie and Hasse added one more kill each to make it a 14-12 score.  However, SXU began to increase its advantage, winning five of the next six points.  Hasse added a late kill, and the pair of Essilfie and Sophore Middle Blocker Joao Tavares (Sao Paulo, Brazil) teamed up on a block, but Saint Xavier helpd off a late rally attempt, and won the game, 25-18.

Game two began with Saint Xavier jumping out to a 5-0 lead.  The first kill for Missouri Valley came from Bastos to put the team's deficit at 9-4.  The gap continued to grow from there, as SXU had a double-digit advantage at 16-6.  The Vikings won three-straight points late in the game, as Sophomore Outside Hitter Davi Azevedo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) landed two kills, and Tavares added one kill, but the team trailed, 20-10.  Saint Xavier eventually finished out a 25-13 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Needing a win in the third game, Missouri Valley took control early.  Tavares and Essilfie teamed up on a block for the team's first point, and Azevedo added a solo block to give the team a 3-1 lead.  The Vikings won nine-straight points over the next stretch of play.  Azevedo had one kill and Tavares put down two aces, while SXU committed six errors during the run to help make it a 12-3 score.  One kill from both Essilfie and Bastos, along with an ace by Azevedo put the advantage at double-digits, 16-6.  Another run, this time taking seven of eight points late in the, helped MVC pull away.  Essilfie landed one kill, then teamed up on a block with Tavares to make it game-point.  One final error from Saint Xavier finished off a 25-11 win for Missouri Valley, and sent the match into a fourth game.  Saint Xavier was held to a -.421 hitting percentage in the game.

Essilfie finished off two kills, and Bastos added one kill to help game four start with the teams tied at 3-3.  Saint Xavier followed by winning four of the next five points to move in front, 7-4.  The next several points were traded, as Azevedo and Senior Middle Blocker Arthur Martineli (Curitiba, Brazil) worked a block, and one kill from Essilfie, Azevedo, Bastos put the deficit at 9-8.  The Vikings won four of the next five points, as Essilfie had one kill and the pair of Azevedo and Martineli teamed up on a block to send MVC in front, 12-11.  Bastos put down another two kills, and a kill by Tavares put the advantage at 17-15.  Saint Xavier responded with another run, taking four of the next five points to go back on top, 20-17.  Missouri Valley was unable to close the gap through the rest of the game.  Bastos and Essiflie had one more kill apiece, but SXU won the game, 25-20, to take the match and eliminate Missouri Valley from the tournament.

Bastos led with 11 kills on a .474 hitting percentage, while Essiflie had 10 kills.  Rodrigues led with 26 assists, and added nine digs, and Senior Libero Leonardo Leao (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) had nine digs.  Missouri Valley totaled seven blocks and three aces.

Missouri Valley ends its season at 22-5 overall, while Saint Xavier advances to the National championship match with a 31-0 record.

The Missouri Valley men's volleyball team finished its 2025 season capturing the program's first Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season title, tying the single-season wins program-record with the 2014 season (22 wins), earning a berth into the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship for the second time in program-history, and advancing to the National semifinal round for the first time in program-history.

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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.