Women's Volleyball Drops Opening Matches at Siouxland Invitational

Sioux City, Iowa, (Aug. 22, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team opened its season with two matches at the Siouxland Invitational in Sioux City, Iowa, Friday.  The Vikings fell in both contests against Dakota State (S.D.) and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.).

After dropping the first two games against Dakota Wesleyan, the Vikings responded by taking control of the third game.  Three-straight attack errors from DSU, followed by one kill from both Senior Middle Hitter Kinga Romanowicz (Krepiec, Poland) and Freshman Outside Hitter Rylee Adams (Odessa, Mo.) put Missouri Valley on top, 5-1.  Four of five points were won by MVC, including an ace from Romanowicz and one kill each by Senior Right Side Maria Bertholdo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Adams stretched the advantage out to 9-3.  Dakota Wesleyan chipped away at its deficit through the next several points, closing back to a 13-10 gap.  The Vikings followed with an ace from Freshman Defensive Specialist Maddie Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) and another Adams kill to push the lead out to 16-10.  Late kills came from Bertholdo, Adams, Sophomore Outside Hitter Olivia Randolph (Columbia, Mo.) and Senior Outside Hitter Juliana Oliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) made it a 23-16 advantage.  The pair of Oliveira and Ramonowicz made it game-point on a block, and Bertholdo ended the game with one more kill to finish a 25-21 win for Missouri Valley as the team hit at a .323 percentage.

Trailing by a 2-1 score in games, the Vikings started the fourth game with two kills by Oliveira, one kill from Romanowicz and an ace from Johnson to move on top, 4-1.  Dakota Wesleyan gradually worked back, and eventually went ahead, 10-8.  One kill from Romanowicz and two aces by Sophomore Setter Kellen Fitzgerald (Frisco, Texas) allowed MVC to take the lead once again, 11-10.  Four of the next five points were won by DSU, to put Missouri Valley in a 14-12 deficit.  Dakota Wesleyan continued to increase its advantage, out to 21-15.  Oliveira added two late kills, with another kill from Randolph, but Dakota Wesleyan won the game, 25-18.  Final scores were 14-25, 14-25, 25-21, 18-25.

Romanowicz led with nine kills.  Adams had eight kills and eight digs, while Oliveira had eight kills.  Bertholdo totaled seven kills.  Fitzgerald finished with 18 assists, while Freshman Libero Emily Elias (Fulton, Mo.) led with 20 digs and Senior Setter Avery Crain (Shell Knob, Mo.) added 10 digs.  Missouri Valley totaled 10 aces.

In the match against Dakota State, the Vikings were led by Oliveira who totaled 10 kills and seven digs.  Junior Clarissa Dias (Praia Grande, Brazil) led with nine assists, and Elias had seven digs.  Missouri Valley fell by scores of 9-25, 10-25, 15-25.

Missouri Valley drops to 0-2 on the season.

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Up next, the Viking women's volleyball team plays two more matches inSioux City, Saturday.  The first match starts at 10:30 a.m., against Valley City State (N.D.), followed by a 3:30 p.m., match against No. 7 Northwestern (Iowa).

Dakota State Box Score-Click Here

Dakota Wesleyan 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.