Mustangs’ Conference Postseason Run Ends in Straight-Set Loss to Missouri Valley

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Mount Mercy University (22-4) fell to Missouri Valley College (23-4) in straight sets on Wednesday at Hennessey Rec Center, with scores of 24-26, 20-25, 19-25. Despite the loss, the Mustangs recorded six service aces, showcasing moments of strong serving throughout the match.

Mount Mercy initially controlled the first set with effective blocking and consistent attacking, leading to a 13-7 advantage behind key contributions from Curdin Acklin and Guglielmo Illotti. However, the Vikings capitalized on attack errors and a persistent offensive push by Loan Fargier and Luca Hasse to close the gap and eventually surpass the Mustangs. The set ended with the Vikings securing a tight 26-24 victory after a decisive 5-0 run.

The Vikings capitalized on a series of Mustangs' errors to gain an early advantage in the second set, highlighted by Leonardo Goncalves' setting, which facilitated multiple kills and two service aces. Mount Mercy struggled to contain the Vikings' offensive pressure, with Illotti contributing significantly late in the set, including a service ace and two kills. Despite a late surge from Mount Mercy narrowing the gap, the Vikings secured a 25-20 set win.

Mount Mercy faced a challenging third set as the Vikings capitalized on errors and consistent attacking to secure a 25-19 victory. Notable for Missouri Valley, Hasse contributed multiple kills, while Fargier also added crucial spikes, bolstered by Goncalves' playmaking. Illotti led the Mustangs' effort with several kills and a service ace, but a series of attack errors hampered their momentum, ultimately allowing the Vikings to pull away.

Illotti led the Mustangs with 15 kills on 34 attempts, achieving a hitting percentage of .294, and contributed two service aces to finish with 18.5 points. Gustavo Kehl Bauer excelled as setter, amassing 31 assists and recording a perfect hitting percentage on his sole attack.

Matthew Krzos was effective at the net with a .444 hitting percentage, tallying four kills and three block assists. Raphael Massara added four kills on eight attempts, maintaining a .500 hitting percentage, and contributed two block assists.

Fargier led the Vikings with an impressive .579 hitting percentage, recording 12 kills on 19 attempts with only one error. Goncalves contributed significantly with 33 assists, demonstrating his playmaking abilities. Hasse was also a key performer, notching 12 kills with a .321 hitting percentage and adding six digs on the defensive side. Lastly, Andrey Bastos added depth to the team's performance with seven kills and two total blocks.