The No. 2 nationally ranked Park University men's volleyball program had no issues in Lamoni, Iowa against Heart of America Athletic Conference opponent, Graceland University. The Pirates were able to win in straight sets, 25-17, 25-22, 25-16.  

Park climbs the conference ladder to 13-1 and a perfect 5-0 in Heart play, while the Yellowjackets drop to 2-9 and are 0-5 in the conference.

Park was consistent with 15 kills in each set and hit their highest percentage in Heart play so far at .352.

It was a 4-0 run that gave Park some separation in set one for a 13-9 lead. Credit Graceland for hanging in at 19-16, but the Pirates throttled forward with the last six points for the 25-17 win. Alessandro Tolin and Joao Infante combined for a block to shut set one down.

Park started set two off with a 5-1 lead and even built to an impressive nine-point lead, 15-6. It was a remarkable turnaround for the Yellowjackets, who got back in it with a 5-0 run, 20-17. Nicolas Tenius recorded a block to make it 23-19 and again Tolin finished things in set two, this time with a kill for a 25-22 win.

The Pirates and Yellowjackets were at 6-5, until the senior Gabriel Soares sprung into action. He had two kills to bring about a 9-1 run. Tenius shined in that run as the server and had two aces in that mix. At this point, Park was up 14-5 and soon arrived at the 25-16 set and match victory.

Joao Friedrich and Leonardo Maldonado were lethal with 11 and eight kills, respectively. Mihailo Ivanovic, Tolin, and Soares were close behind with six, six, and five kills as well.
Tolin was sensational with a career-high eight blocks.

Joao Bonanoni was great defensively with 12 digs to lead his team, while Eduardo Sabi was an assist machine with 33.

Park has a big match against No. 5 William Penn University tomorrow evening at 7pm in Oskaloosa, Iowa. WATCH
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