Park University's No. 5 nationally ranked men's volleyball program came to Breckon Sports Center to go head-to-head with Clarke University on Friday night, defeating the Pride, 25-17, 25-16, 23-25, 25-17.

The Pirates have set the golden standard in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, as the first Heart team to 10 conference wins. Park is two games ahead of the second place Mount Mercy Mustangs and the Grand View Vikings.

The Pirates are now 14-0 on the season with a 10-0 Heart record, while Clarke is 5-9 and 3-7 in conference play.  

The Pirates were riding a streak of five sweeps in a row coming into tonight and despite going down 2-0, Clarke managed to force a fourth set on the Pirates.

Park was going back and forth between their outside and opposite side hitters, Joao Friedrich and Samuel Essilfie, who combined for 37 kills in the match. Essilfie matched his season-high of 22 kills tonight, which previously came against Mount Mercy on February 3 in only Park's third four-set match of the year.

He earns his first career double-double as a Pirate with 13 digs as well.

Essilfie hit .425 with only five errors and his partner in crime, Friedrich stung 15 kills with also just five errors for an attack percentage of .270. Friedrich also has been a service ace machine this season and recorded five on the match.

Park led 14-12 in the first set, but Friedrich boosted Park with a kill and three consecutive service aces for a 18-12 Park lead. Essilfie had the honors of set point moments later for the 25-17 win.

Another tight set two was broke open by a 5-0 run by Park. In that span, Friedrich, Nicolas Tenius, Essilfie, and Mihailo Ivanovic all had kills.

The Pirates grew their lead to as much as 10 before claiming a 25-16 set two victory. Park hit their highest attack percentage of the night at .548 in set two and recorded their highest number of kills in the match with 19.

Set two was not unlike the previous two at the start. Normally Park would pull away mid-way through and accelerate past the Pride, but this time a determined Clarke squad clung to a three-point lead at different times to eventually win the third set, 25-23.

Clarke actually hit higher than Park in the third set at .100 to .086 and matched the Pirates in kills with 12.

Park returned to their form in the fourth set and rattled off a four-point run to take a 10-5 lead. The Pirates were able to hold off the Pride the rest of the way, as Park took the last three points of the match for the 25-17 victory.

Essilfie, Eduardo Faquin, and Mert Asma were the dig leaders today with 13, seven, and six. Asma joined in for a Pirate Post-Game to sum up from his perspective.

M??, Mert Asma joins @MSKC_Brennen for his first Pirate Post-Game! Great match from the Freshman at Libero! #GoPirates?????
???https://t.co/pMobWdwemA pic.twitter.com/ke6n9A4Xo9

— Park Pirates (@ParkPirates) February 25, 2023

Faquin was active tonight with 38 assists. Five other Pirates recorded assists on the evening, including Marcus Lucchesi who earned seven himself.

Daniel Isernhagen had some electric kills from the middle and earned seven for the match with a hitting percentage of .600.

Ivanovic is coming off of NAIA and Heart Defender of the Week awards and led Park again with three block assists on the evening. Lucchesi, Isernhagen, Veljko Stojic, Carston Wellong, and Essilfie were effective with two block assists each as well.

Park has a quick turnaround against a formidable No. 7 ranked Mount Mercy University squad at 2pm on Saturday, February 25 inside Breckon Sports Center. Watch the live-action here.

Box Score