Women's Volleyball Tops Columbia & Central Baptist at Viking Invitational

Marshall, Mo., (Aug. 29, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team opened the Viking Invitational inside the Burns Athletic Complex with two matches, Friday.  The Vikings swept Central Baptist (Ark.) in its first contest, followed by a four-game win over Columbia (Mo.).

The first game against Central Baptist began with Missouri Valley going in front early.  One kill from Senior Outside Hitter Juliana Oliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Sophomore Outside hitter Olivia Randolph (Columbia, Mo.) and Junior Right Side Renata Pereira (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) put the team on top, 5-2.  Central Baptist worked back, and took its first lead of the match, at 6-5.  The two teams traded points over the next stretch of play, which included one kill from Junior Right Side Alana Burton (Ogden, Iowa), and another kill by Oliveira to help push MVC ahead, 11-9.  The Vikings gradually add to their lead over the next several points, as Senior Middle Hitter Kinga Romanowicz (Krepeic, Poland) had one kill, followed by a kill from Randolph.  The pair of Pereira and Romanowicz teamed up on a block, while Burton and Randolph added another block to make it a 17-14 score.  Central Baptist responded, and won four of the next five points to tie the game at 18-18.  After Missouri Valley briefly went back in front, CBC won two-straight points to lead, 20-19.  Sophomore Right Side Harper Herring (Orange Park, Fla.) and Oliveira came back with one kill apiece, and MVC held a 21-20 advantage.  Central Baptist tied the game late, at 23-23, but a CBC error and one more kill from Randolph gave the Vikings a 25-23 win.

Game two started with Central Baptist taking control early, out to a 7-3 lead.  Senior Middle Blocker Jisell Chumacero (Denver, Colo.), Randolph and Herring each had one kill, but MVC trailed, 11-7.  The Vikings answered by taking eight of the next nine points.  Chumacero started the run with one kill, followed by an ace from Senior Libero Ana Franco (Cascais, Portugal).  Oliveira had three kills, and MVC held a 15-12 advantage.  The two teams traded the points until CBC worked back to tie the game at 18-18.  Missouri Valley put down three-straight kills, from Pereira, Herring and Oliveira to go in front, 21-18.  Oliveira took over from there, landing the final three kills in the game, and added a solo block to help the Vikings win, 25-20, and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Going for the sweep in the third game, Missouri Valley opened with an ace from Sophomore Setter Kellen Fitzgerald (Frisco, Texas) and one kill by Randolph to hold a 3-1 lead.  Central Baptist followed with four-straight points, and stayed in front at 8-7.  Six of the next seven points were won by the Vikings, as Herring landed two kills and Franco finished off three-straight aces to help make it a 13-9 score.  The lead was wiped away, as CBC worked back to tie the teams at 15-15.  Missouri Valley answered with another run, this time led by Freshman Outside Hitter Rylee Adams (Odessa, Mo.), who landed three-straight kills.  Romanowicz had two aces, and Adams put down two more kills later in the game to continue the run.  After a late Central Baptist error made it match-point, Junior Middle Hitter Stacy Maimur (Chicago, Ill.) put down the final kill, and Missouri Valley won the game, 25-15, to sweep the match.  The Vikings hit at a match-high .357 percentage in the game.

Oliveira led with 11 kills and hit at a .318 percentage.  Adams, Randolph and Herring each added six kills.  Fitzgerald led with 21 assists, and Junior Setter Clarissa Dias (Praia Grande, Brazil) added 12 assists.  Romanowicz totaled 15 digs and Franco had 10 digs and a team-high four aces.  Missouri Valley finished with four blocks and 10 aces as a team. 

Columbia entered the second match of the day currently in the "others receiving votes" category of the preseason NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The two teams traded points through a long stretch of play at the start of action.  Fitzgerald landed an early ace, followed by one kill from Ramonowicz and Burton.  Later in the game, both Herring and Ramonowicz put down two kills each to help tie the game at 10-10.  Missouri Valley built up a lead from there, as Romanowicz and Randolph both added one kill to go with one ace put down by Oliveira to stretch the advantage out to 17-11.  Columbia chipped away at its deficit, and got to within an 18-16 score.  Adams answered with one kill, and Dias had one ace to keep MVC in front, 20-16.  The Vikings maintained their lead through the rest of the game, helped by a block from Herring and Burton, followed by an Oliveira kill.  Two late CC errors ended the first game, in favor of Missouri Valley, 25-19.

Game two began with three early Randolph kills, and another kill from Burton, to send MVC in front, 6-3.  The Cougars responded by taking seven of the next eight points to pull in front, 10-7.  The deficit grew for the Vikings through the next stretch of play, and eventually reached 19-11.  Romanowicz ended the CC run with a kill, followed by a block from Randolph and Burton, but the team trailed, 19-15.  Columbia pulled away from there, and won six of the final seven points to take the game, 25-16, and even the match at 1-1 in games.

The teams again traded points to begin play in the third game.  Oliveira had four kills, Herring added two kills and Randolph finished off one kill in an early stretch to keep the teams tied at 9-9.  A Cougar error briefly put Missouri Valley in front, 10-9, but Columbia responded to win six of the next seven points to build up a 15-11 advantage.  Romanowicz ended the CC run with one kill, followed by two kills from Randolph to cut the team's deficit to 15-14.  The Vikings took control of the game late, winning eight-straight points.  Pereira had two kills, Dias landed two aces and Herring finished off one kill to cap the streak and give MVC a 22-16 lead.  One more kill apiece from Herring and Oliveira put Missouri Valley at game-point, and Romanowicz ended the game on a final kill to give the Vikings a 25-20 win, and a 2-1 lead in the match.

Missouri Valley took control of the fourth game early, as Oliveira and Romanowicz put down one kill each, and Fitzgerald had an ace to make it a 3-0 score.  Four-straight points followed for MVC, as Romanowicz had one kill and an ace, while Pereira finished off one kill to help make it an 8-2 advantage.  The two teams traded points through a 16-9 score.  Burton had two kills, while Oliveira added two kills and a block during the stretch.  The Vikings added to their lead, out to double-digits, winning five-straight points.  Pereira and Burton teamed up on a block, then Dias put down back-to-back aces.  One more Pereira kill followed as the lead grew to 21-11. Two more Herring kills helped MVC maintain its advantage, and two final errors by Columbia secured the win for Missouri Valley in the game, 25-17, and in the match by a 3-1 margin.

Oliveira led with a double-double of 13 kills and 13 digs.  Romanowicz added nine kills and seven digs, while Herring and Randolph each finished with nine kills.  Fitzgerald had a double-double of 25 assists and 14 digs, and Dias had 19 assists and a team-high five aces.  Franco led with 26 digs.  Missouri Valley totaled six blocks and 10 aces as a team.

The pair of wins move Missouri Valley to 2-4 on the season.

Up next, the Vikings will play two more matches, Saturday, inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The first match starts at 11:30 a.m., against Paul Quinn (Texas), followed by a 7 p.m., contest against York (Neb.).

Central Baptist Box Score-Click Here

Columbia 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 be