The No. 3 nationally ranked Park University men's volleyball program went head to head against the next best in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, and the nation for that matter, in No. 5 Missouri Valley. The Pirates got the 3-1 win over the Vikings in Breckon Sports Center on Saturday, 25-22-25-21, 16-25, and 25-22.

Park drives up to 21-0 on the year with a 13-0 Heart record, while the Vikings only have two losses, both to Park, at 14-2 and 8-2 in conference play.

Adrian Figueroa was the offensive weapon for the Pirates with 27 kills and hit .419.  

Both teams had 21 service errors in the match, but the Vikings consistently had at least five service errors in each set, while Park had sets two and four with their most at eight and seven service errors. The big difference came in service aces, as the Pirates had 11 service aces, while the Vikings only managed two.

The Vikings had 12 blocks, which affected Park's hitting percentage at .180, but despite that the Pirates were able to ride the ship in sets one and two with slim leads before sealing it 25-22 and 25-21.

A 6-0 run for Missouri Valley early in set three was a big deciding factor in that set, as the Vikings pressed forward for the 25-16 win. In the fourth set, there was a strong push by the Pirates' Figueroa and Mihailo Ivanovic with big kills to make it 21-17. A service ace by Missouri Valley ended things 25-22 for the Park win. 

A big highlight of the match was Veljko Stojic's six service aces, which gave the Pirates a sure advantage throughout the match.

Jovan Nikolic had 36 assists for the match and five digs, while Leonardo Maldonado led the Pirates defensively with seven digs.

Moises Ortiz and Figueroa each had three blocks apiece to repel Viking attacks.

Murillo Silva was next in line behind Figueroa in kills with seven for the match.

The Pirates are on the road against (RV) Ottawa University on Tuesday night at 7pm. WATCH
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