Graceland Men's Volleyball Falls in Five Set Battle With Clarke

LAMONI, Iowa – In a hard-fought five-set match, the Graceland University Yellowjackets (2-14, 0-9 Heart of America Athletic Conference) came up short against Clarke University (2-16, 2-10 Heart) on Friday night at the Morden Center. Despite securing early momentum and taking the first two sets, Graceland was unable to close out the match, falling 3-2 (29-27, 25-23, 13-25, 9-25, 13-15).

Head coach Eric Majors praised his team's fight, highlighting an unexpected but strong performance from Christopher Sawyer. "Tonight we fought with a lot of guts, and I am very proud of these guys," Majors said. "Christopher Sawyer was thrown into the setting role due to injury, and he had a great night stepping into that role."

MATCH RECAP

Graceland opened the match with offensive efficiency, securing a 29-27 first-set victory. The Yellowjackets built their attack behind outside hitter Elijah Kline, who registered a team-high 16 kills, and Andrew Cziep, who contributed 10 kills and two service aces. Setter Christopher Sawyer stepped into a primary playmaking role, dishing out 35 assists while adding a service ace and four digs.

In the second set, Graceland continued its momentum with a 25-23 win, capitalizing on efficient ball movement and timely defensive plays. Chase VanDellen and Andrew Youssef combined for 15 total kills, while the Yellowjackets' front row forced Clarke into critical attack errors late in the frame.

However, Clarke responded with a dominant third-set performance, holding Graceland to a negative hitting percentage (-.118) and taking the set 25-13. The Yellowjackets struggled to counter Clarke's adjustment at the net, as the Pride's Justin Hernandez (26 kills, .457 hitting percentage) led the charge.

Clarke continued its surge in the fourth, using aggressive serving and net control to limit Graceland's offense to just five total kills in the set. The Yellowjackets fell behind early and were unable to recover, dropping the frame 9-25 to set up a decisive fifth set.

The final set was tightly contested, with Graceland taking an early 10-8 lead behind key plays from Kline and Youssef. However, Clarke regained control with a late surge, closing the match on a 7-3 run to take the set 15-13.

TEAM STATISTICS

• Kills: Clarke 49, Graceland 46
• Hitting Percentage: Clarke .301, Graceland .059
• Assists: Clarke 47, Graceland 44
• Digs: Clarke 41, Graceland 42
• Blocks: Clarke 17, Graceland 7
• Aces: Clarke 2, Graceland 5

Graceland now turns its attention to Mount Mercy University, as the Yellowjackets look to bounce back in their upcoming match.

UP NEXT

The Yellowjackets will take on Mount Mercy University Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the Morden Center.

For more information on Graceland men's volleyball and all of Graceland athletics, visit GUjackets.com.