Mustangs Fall in Top-10 Clash with No. 3 Vikings

MARSHALL, Mo. - In a clash of top-ten teams, Mount Mercy's men's volleyball team fell in straight sets to No. 3 Missouri Valley on Saturday afternoon. The Mustangs fell with set scores of 25-19, 25-21, and 25-20.

The Vikings set the tone early, taking the opening set 25-19 while holding the Mustangs to a .057 hitting percentage and just nine kills. In set two, Mount Mercy found more rhythm offensively—hitting a match-high .464—but Missouri Valley countered with their own match-best .542 to edge out a 25-21 win and go up 2-0. The Vikings completed the sweep in the third set, securing a 25-20 victory to close out the match.

Guglielmo Illotti led the Mustangs offensively with 15 kills and a .250 hitting percentage, while also contributing two blocks. Gabor Toth followed with nine kills on an efficient .364 clip, and Pete Font Torres chipped in eight kills, hitting .222. Gustavo Kehl Bauer orchestrated the attack with 36 assists, while Richard Struska anchored the defense with a team-high 14 digs.

For the Vikings, Samuel Essilfie paced the offense with 16 kills on a .444 hitting percentage. Davi Azevedo and Andrey Bastos followed with nine and seven kills, respectively. Lucas Rodrigues directed the Viking offense with 34 assists.

Mount Mercy (20-5, 14-4 HEART) returns to action on Tuesday, April 8, hosting Clarke for Senior Night, with first serve set for 7 p.m.