No. 5 Men's Volleyball Tops Culver-Stockton in Four Games

Marshall, Mo., (March 17, 2026)- The No. 5 Missouri Valley College men's volleyball team hosted Culver-Stockton (Mo.) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference match Tuesday evening, inside Burns Athletic Complex.  The Vikings topped the Wildcats in four games by scores of 25-21, 25-15, 21-25, 25-17.

The opening game started with Culver-Stockton taking an early lead, 6-3.  Teams traded points through the next stretch of play, featuring two kills from Freshman Outside Hitter Bart Mulder (Hoogeveen, Netherlands) and two CSC errors, as Missouri Valley cut its deficit down to 10-7.  The Vikings followed taking six of the next eight points, with two kills from Freshman Outside Hitter Timothee Carpentier (Sao Paulo, Brazil), a kill each from Junior Outside Hitter Frederico Baptista (Esmoriz, Portugal) and Mulder, and an ace from Senior Middle Blocker Arthur Martenelli (Curitiba, Brazil) to tie the game at 13-13.  Missouri Valley won the next three points to take the lead, as Mulder had back-to-back kills to make it a 16-13 score.  Both teams traded points through the next several points, which included two kills from Martenelli, and a kill each from Senior Middle Blocker Pedro Berti (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Mulder, and Baptista to hold a 21-18 advantage.  The Vikings used two solo blocks from Berti and a kill from Freshman Setter Alberto Fontanabona (Brazil) to move the team to game-point, and Baptista finished off the opening game with a kill, 25-21.

Game two started with Missouri Valley going in front early, as Fontanabona landed an ace, both Martenelli and Mulder added a kill each, and Berti had a solo block to give MVC a 5-4 lead.  The Vikings won five-straight points, where Carpentier put down a block and a kill, and Berti and Mulder had a kill each to keep MVC on top, 10-4.  The Wildcats won five of the next seven points to close the team's deficit down to 12-9.  The two teams exchanged points through the next stretch of play, and Culver-Stockton brought the gap down to 17-14, but Missouri Valley responded with a run, taking eight of the final nine points.  Mulder added two kills, while Berti, Carpentier, and Freshman Outside Hitter Stefan Radovanovic (Slovenia) added a kill each to put the Vikings at game-point, and a final error from CSC ended the game, 25-15, and Missouri Valley held a 2-0 lead in the match. 

With the Wildcats needing a win in the third game to extend the match, Culver-Stockton moved in front early, 5-3.  The Vikings answered back winning five of the next six points, using a kill apiece from Baptista and Carpentier, and a block from Junior Middle Blocker Jaxson Gonzales (Dallas, Texas) to move ahead, 8-6.  The two teams played close through a 13-13 score, but the Wildcats eventually reclaimed the lead taking five of the next eight points to hold a 18-17 lead.  Culver-Stockton won four-straight points to extend their advantage, 22-17.  Missouri Valley tried to work back late in the game, as Mulder landed two kills, and Carpentier had another kill, but CSC closed out the game, 25-21, and pushed the match to game four.

Game four started with Culver-Stockton going on top, and holding a 6-3 lead.  Carpentier had two kills and an ace, while Mulder and Junior Middle Blocker Joao Tavares (Parana, Brazil) added a kill each, along with a block from Senior Opposite Luca Hasse (Paderborn, Germany) to put MVC in front, 10-8.  The two teams exchanged points through the next stretch of play, but Missouri Valley won five-straight points to take control of the game.  Berti had a kill, and also teamed up with Sophomore Setter Leonardo Goncalves (Ribierao Preto, Brazil) on a block, Baptista landed an ace, and Carpentier put down a solo block to push the lead out to 18-12.  After Culver-Stockton won the next points, the Vikings continued to pull away, winning the next four points, with a kill from Hasse, an ace from Berti, and a kill from Tavares, who also teamed up with Goncalves on a block to make it a 22-13 score.  The Wildcats used three MVC errors to cut its deficit down to 23-17, but a CSC error, and a final kill from Hasse finished out a 25-17 win in the game, and a 3-1 victory in the match.

Leading the team was Mulder with 19 kills, followed by Carpentier with 10 kills, three blocks and an ace.  Baptista finished with eight kills and eleven digs, while Berti had five kills and three blocks.  Fontanabona led with 42 assists.  Missouri Valley finished with twelve blocks and totaled six aces.

Missouri Valley improves to 15-2 overall and 9-2 in the conference, while Culver-Stockton falls to 2-18 on the season and 0-11 in the Heart.

Up next, the Viking men's volleyball team will travel to Sioux Center, Iowa, for a Heart of America Conference contest with Dordt (Iowa), Friday at 6 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here

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.