Women's Volleyball Tops Culver-Stockton in Four Games

Canton, Mo., (Oct. 4, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team traveled to Canton, Mo., for a Heart of America Athletic Conference match with Culver-Stockton (Mo.), Saturday afternoon.  The Vikings finished out a win in four games by scores of 25-17, 19-25, 25-21, 25-8.

Missouri Valley gradually built up a lead early in the first game, as Senior Middle Hitter Kinga Romanowicz (Krepiec, Poland) and Junior Right Side Laura Tavares (Merida, Venezuela) each had one kill, while Tavares teamed up with Junior Middle Hitter Stacy Maimur (Chicago, Ill.) on a block and Senior Libero Ana Franco (Cascais, Portugal) added an ace to make it a 6-2 score.  The two teams traded points over the next stretch of play, as Sophomore Outside Hitter Olivia Randolph (Columbia, Mo.), Senior Outside Hitter Juliana Oliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Senior Setter Avery Crain (Shell Knob, Mo.) each landed one kill to help keep MVC in front, 11-6.  The Vikings won five of six points, as Sophomore Right Side Harper Herring (Orange Park, Fla.) and Romanowicz teamed up on a block, followed by an ace from Freshman Defensive Specialist Morgan Smith (Kaufman, Texas) and a Herring kill to give the team a double-digit advantage, 16-6.  Culver-Stockton began to cut away at its deficit, and closed the gap to 20-14.  However, Herring put down two more kills to move MVC to game-point, and Romanowicz closed the game with one more kill to finish out a 25-17 win.

The second game featured the Wildcats moving out to a lead, at 7-3.  Missouri Valley tried to work down the gap, as Tavares put down two kills, and Oliveira, Herring, Romanowicz and Franco each added one kill, but the Vikings trailed, 11-10.  Randolph and Oliveira put down back-to-back kills to send MVC in front, 13-12, but Culver-Stockton responded to take five-straight points and go back on top, 17-13.  Missouri Valley got to within one point late in the game, following two kills from Randolph and one more kill by Romanowicz.  However, CSC closed it out by winning four of the final five points to earn a 25-19 win and tie the match at 1-1 overall.

Game three opened with three-straight kills coming from Oliveira, Romanowicz and Randolph, while Franco added an ace to help MVC sit on top, 6-2.  The Vikings maintained their advantage through the next stretch of play, as Oliveira had four more kills to make it a 13-9 score.  The Wildcats responded to win four-straight points, and eventually claimed a 15-14 lead.  Missouri Valley used four CSC errors and a kill from Senior Right Side Maria Bertholdo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) to go back in front, 20-16.  Another kill from Bertholdo and a late kill from Oliveira made it a 23-20 advantage, and MVC used two final errors from Culver-Stockton to close out a 25-21 win in the game, and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Trying to close out the win in game four, Missouri Valley dominated early, as Oliveira and Randolph each put down one kill, and Oliveira added an ace to string together six-straight points to start.  Another nine-point run followed, started by a block from Romanowicz, and featuring one Franco ace, two Randolph kills and another Freshman Outside Hitter Rylee Adams (Odessa, Mo.) kill.  The run was capped on a block from Randolph and Maimur to extend the MVC lead to 15-1.  Later in the game, Adams put down one kill, then added an ace, while Bertholdo finished off another kill to put the score at 21-3.  The Vikings finished out the game from there, as a block and kill from Romanowicz made it match-point, and the final kill came from Oliveira to end a 25-8 game, and a 3-1 win the match.  Missouri Valley hit at a .409 percentage in the game, and limited CSC to a -.207 percentage.

Oliveira led with a double-double of 13 kills and 10 digs, while Randolph added nine kills.  Crain led with 20 assists, and Sophomore Setter Kellen Fitzgerald (Frisco, Texas) had 16 assists and seven digs.  Franco led with 19 digs and three aces, and Adams added 10 digs.  Missouri Valley totaled seven blocks and six aces as a team.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 10-10 overall and 4-6 in the Heart.  Culver-Stockton drops to 6-13 on the season and 2-8 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking women's volleyball team will travel to Springfield, Mo., for a non-conference match with Mission (Mo.), Wednesday 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.