The No. 3 Park University men's volleyball program was in action in Marshall, Mo. on Saturday for the Heart Game of the Week against No. 4 Missouri Valley College. You can count on a good matchup between these two teams in an average year, but to have this scheduled at the start of the Heart of America Athletic Conference schedule was a highly anticipated matchup. The Pirates were able to get to an early lead and held on for a 3-1 win, 25-22, 25-21, 26-28, 28-26.

The match did not disappoint with the final two frames going long to 28-26. The Pirates improve to 11-0 and are 3-0 in conference, while the Vikings are now just 8-1 with a 1-1 Heart record.

The Pirates set a season high with 18 total blocks in the match, including 11 blocks from Moises Ortiz, this week's Heart and NAIA Defender of the Week.

The score was tied nine times in set one and with Park clinging to a two-point lead had a pivotal two-point run with a kill by Mihailo Ivanovic and a attack error by the Vikings, 18-14. A Murillo Silva got the Pirates to set point, as they held the four-point advantage, 24-20. The Vikings got on a two-point run, but a service error ended the set 25-22 for the Pirates.

A 6-1 run helped get Park back into the second set, 10-8, which included four blocks by the Pirates. Another late 8-2 run by Park was the push the Pirates needed and they led 21-17 after a Leonardo Maldonado kill. Similarly, another Missouri Valley service error put the Pirates up 2-0, 25-21.

It was anyone's set in the third, as not a lot of separation was ever experienced by either side. A 5-1 run by the Vikings put them back in the lead, 20-19. Even after a 3-0 run by the Pirates to make it 23-22, the Vikings had three kills towards the end of the set to force a set point. After a service error, the Vikings took the third set 28-26.

The Pirates and Vikings put on a great set in the fourth as well and the Pirates largest lead was only four points, 14-10. Some late momentum for Missouri Valley could be felt with an 8-2 run to lead 21-19, but the response by the Pirates was just as impressive, as Adrian Figueroa knocked down two kills in a row for Park's 23-22 lead. Figueroa had a massive number with 25 kills on the day and was named the Heart Attacker of the Week for his efforts. Missouri Valley would get to set point first with a 24-23 lead, but the combination of kills from Silva, Figueroa, and Ortiz was enough to put Park on top, 28-26.

Park hit .285 for the match, while the Vikings were at .195. The serve sided with the Vikings with four service aces and 12 service errors to two and 16 from the Pirates. 18 blocks from the Pirates though made life difficult for Missouri Valley, who had 10 blocks of their own.

Figueroa was only two digs off of a double-double, as was Jovan Nikolic with 42 assists in the match.

Silva was the other Pirate in double-figures with 15 kills and faired well defensively with seven digs and four blocks.

Ortiz led Park with 11 blocks in the match, as the sophomore from the Dominican Republic added six kills to his total as well. Not just putting in work from the outside offensively was Figueroa with five blocks on the defensive side of the net.

Park hosts Ottawa University on Tuesday night at 7pm in Breckon Sports Center next. WATCH
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