Women's Volleyball Drops Home Contest to Central Methodist

Marshall, Mo., (Oct. 28, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's volleyball team hosted Central Methodist (Mo.) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference match Tuesday evening inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  The Vikings played close in the first game, but fell by scores of 26-28, 19-25, 22-25.

The two teams traded points at the start of the opening game, as Junior Right Side Laura Tavares (Merida, Venezuela) put down a pair of kills and Senior Middle Hitter Kinga Romanowicz (Krepiec, Poland) added one kill to tie the score at 3-3.  Central Methodist followed with four-straight points to hold a 7-3 advantage.  Missouri Valley answered as a Senior Middle Hitter Patrisiya Uzoma (Moscow, Russia) kill and a pair of CMU errors brought the team into a 7-6 deficit.  The Eagles stayed in front, and held a 12-9 advantage before one kill from Romanowicz helped cut the gap down to 12-11.  Two more Central Methodist errors made it a tie game once again, at 13-13.  After the Eagles won three-straight points, MVC followed with an ace from Senior Setter Avery Crain (Shell Knob, Mo.), and one kill apiece from Tavares and Sophomore Outside Hitter Olivia Randolph (Columbia, Mo.) to keep the teams even at 16-16.  The two teams continued to trade points, until a three-point run by the Vikings gave the team a late lead.  Junior Setter Clarissa Dias (Praia Grande, Brazil) had one ace, Senior Outside Hitter Juliana Oliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) put down one kill and the pair of Tavares and Romanowicz added a block to make it a 23-22 score.  A service error from CMU gave Missouri Valley its first game-point, but the game was extended on a Viking error.  Romanowicz came back to put down another kill, and give the team a second game-point, 25-24.  Central Methodist responded, and won four of the final five points played to earn a 28-26 win.

Game two started with two errors from CMU and one kill each by Romanowicz and Oliveira to help put the Vikings in front, 4-2.  One block and one kill from Uzoma put the advantage at 6-3, then a kill from Senior Right Side Maria Bertholdo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) kept the team ahead, 8-5.  Central Methodist came back to win five of the next six points to grab a 10-9 lead, then won another three-straight points to make it a 13-10 score.  The Vikings followed with a four-point run, as one ace from Oliveira, one block by Tavares and another two CMU errors put Missouri Valley on top, 14-13.  The Eagles responded with another run, this time winning five of the next six points to take an 18-15 advantage.  Missouri Valley was unable to cut its deficit down through the rest of the game, and CMU finished out a 25-19 win to hold a 2-0 lead in the match.

Needing a win in the third game to extend the contest, Missouri Valley went into an early 8-2 deficit.  The teams traded the next several points, which included one kill by Tavares and a block from Uzoma to make it a 10-5 score.  The Vikings won four of five points, as Romanowicz and Freshman Outside Hitter Maddie Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) each landed one kill, then teamed up on a block to bring the gap down to 13-9.  The Eagles continued to stay in front, and eventually stretched their lead to 23-16.  Missouri Valley came back in the game, taking six of seven late points.  Romanowicz and Tavares teamed up on a block, then Tavares added a solo block.  An ace from Senior Libero Ana Franco (Cascais, Portugal) got the gap down to 24-22, but the next point was won by Central Methodist to close out a 25-22 game three score, and the match in a sweep.

Romanowicz led with eight kills, while Dias added a double-double of 10 assists and 13 digs.  Franco led with 17 digs, and Oliveira had 14 digs.  Crain totaled nine assists and nine digs.  Missouri Valley finished with nine blocks as a team and put down four aces.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 13-15 overall and 6-11 in the Heart.  Central Methodist improves to 19-7 on the season and 11-5 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking women's volleyball team will close out its regular season with a home match against Peru State (Neb.), Friday at 7 p.m., inside the Burns Athletic Complex.

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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.