The No. 8 nationally ranked Park University men's volleyball program dispatched Graceland University in Breckon Sports Center on Saturday, dashing the Yellowjackets in straight sets 25-16, 25-16, 25-13.

The Pirates are now 18-5 in 2024 and 10-4 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. With four regular season games left on the schedule, Park stands at No. 4. Graceland is 4-17 on the year with a 2-12 Heart record.

Graceland hit their highest hitting percentage in set one at .167, while Park was at .462 in set one and overall hit .419 for the match.

The Pirates got off to a good start at 8-2 in set one. With a four-point lead at 14-10, the Pirates went on an impressive 8-1 run for the 22-11 command of the set. Six kills in set one by Leonardo Maldonado was more than enough to lead to Park's 25-16 win.

The Yellowjackets had a 5-4 advantage in set two, but Park got back on top after a service error, two attack errors by Graceland, and two service aces by Nicolas Tenius for a 9-5 lead. A couple 3-0 runs for the Pirates added to the lead and eventually led to a 25-16 win again in set two.

Park got off to a 5-1 start in set three. The Yellowjackets countered to make it a one-point deficit 6-5, but the Pirates would not give up the lead with a 6-1 run for a 12-6 lead. There was a 4-0 run for Park on the way to their 25-13 win and Tenius stole the show with nine kills in the third set.

Tenius led the match with 13 kills, while Maldonado was close behind at 11. There were also five of Park's eight service aces between this duo.

Eduardo Sabi was on with 34 assists on the match with six digs and three blocks.

Park's two middle blockers were giving a steady stream of offense with six kills for Mihailo Ivanovic and four kills for Carston Wellong.

Park returns for a Tuesday evening match at 7pm with No. 5 William Penn University in Breckon Sports Center. WATCH
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