Vikings Start Their 2023 Season off Strong With a 4-Setter Against Lourdes

Men’s Volleyball | Thu, Jan. 26, 2023 at 6:30 PM

Des Moines, IA – No. 1 Grand View University opened up their 2023 season coming off of their second consecutive National Championship. The Vikings and Lourdes University faced off and went to four sets where the Vikings would come out victorious 27-25, 25-12, 25-20, 25-17. 

Set 1: Grand View University 25 l Lourdes University 27

The Vikings started things off with a kill from Daniel Galili (SO/Shomrat, Israel) assisted by Zeo Meyer (JR/Wheaton, IL ). The Gray Wolves would keep things close surviving off of Viking errors, a few costly ones for “out of rotation”. Bayron Valdez (JR/Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) would get back-to-back kills all assisted by Meyer, making the score 17-14 in favor of the Vikings. A few service aces would give the Wolves the edge late and force Coach Felipe into a timeout, tying things up 24-24. A late kill by Daniel Wong (SR/Campbell, CA ) would tie things 25 all, but the Wolves would take set one off of a set error, 27-25. 

Set 2: Grand View University 25 l Lourdes University 12

In the second set, Grand View started things off with a chip on its shoulder. The Vikings opened things up with a Valdez that would get another early kill and would get followed up by a huge block from Wong and Isaiah Kalima-Izumi (SO/Waimanalo, HI ) giving the Vikings a big early lead, 10-2. Erick Villar Cordero (SR/Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) would grab the service ace and would force Lourdes into a timeout. The Vikings would get another big lift from a kill from Nicolas Vattier (SO/Santiago, Chile) making the score, 21-11. A double kill from Wong was followed up by a finalizer from Daniel Galili. 

Set 3: Grand View University 25 l Lourdes 20

The Vikings and the Eagles would battle things out in the early serves of the third set. The defending National Champions would finally start to pull away in the middle of the set with a service ace from Wong. Valdez and Vattier got a duo block forcing Lourdes into a timeout after the Vikings increased their lead, to 21-14. A late rally by the Wolves would have the Vikings on their heels but would be saved in the third set by a timely error from Lourdes. 

Set 4: Grand View University 25 l Lourdes 20

The Vikings would have an interesting final set with the Wolves. Duking things out early would keep things within a few points both ways. Kalima-Izumi would grab the lifting kill from Meyer making the score…