Graceland Wraps Weekend Road Trip Ahead of Senior Day Finale

ST. LOUIS, Missouri — The Graceland University men's volleyball team completed a three-match weekend slate, opening with a road contest Friday at Missouri Baptist before competing in Saturday's UHSP tri-match against UHSP and Central Christian (Kan.). The Yellowjackets showed progression in system execution despite three losses, concluding the stretch with an overall record of 2-27 (1-16 conference).

Friday: Missouri Baptist 3, Graceland 0

Graceland opened the weekend with a straight-sets loss to Missouri Baptist, falling 16-25, 14-25, 23-25 in St. Louis. The Yellowjackets entered the match at 2-25 (1-15 conference), while Missouri Baptist improved to 15-13 (7-10 conference).

The Yellowjackets totaled 29 kills on a .129 hitting percentage, adding 29 assists and four service aces. Offensive production was led by Hawk Richard (6 kills) and Nick English (5 kills, .364 hitting), while setter Luis Garcia distributed 16 assists in system.

Missouri Baptist established tempo early, hitting .400 as a team, with efficient side-out execution and balanced pin production. Graceland responded with its strongest set in the third, recording 13 kills on a .370 clip, but could not overcome early deficits created by service pressure and blocking mismatches.

Defensively, Graceland recorded 27 digs, highlighted by Benjamin Gorton-Hülgerth (10 digs), but struggled to convert transition opportunities against Missouri Baptist's structured block.

Saturday Match 1: UHSP 3, Graceland 1

In the opening match of the UHSP tri-match, Graceland fell in four sets, 25-18, 13-25, 16-25, 22-25, moving to 2-26 (1-16 conference). UHSP improved to 13-16 (7-12 conference).

Graceland produced 38 kills on a .200 hitting percentage, including a match-high 15 kills in the opening set (.520). Andrew Cziep led the attack with 8 kills on .500 hitting, while Nick English added 8 kills and Kalanikapu Aona contributed 6 kills on .417 efficiency.

Setters Garcia and Nairod Fonseca combined for 31 assists, facilitating a balanced offense across the pins and middle. At the net, Graceland totaled 16 block assists, led by Elijah Kline and Jerze Simonson, emphasizing improved block positioning and read progression.

After controlling the first set, Graceland faced extended service runs from UHSP that disrupted serve-receive patterns. Despite a late push in the fourth set, UHSP maintained side-out efficiency to close the match.

Saturday Match 2: Central Christian 3, Graceland 2

Graceland closed the weekend with a five-set contest against Central Christian, falling 23-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-21, 10-15. The Yellowjackets moved to 2-27 overall, while Central Christian improved to 1-21.

Graceland matched Central Christian with 53 kills, finishing with a .139 attack percentage and 47 assists. Jerze Simonson led with 11 kills on .333 hitting, while Andrew Cziep (9 kills) and Kalanikapu Aona (10 kills, .333) provided consistent pin production.

The Yellowjackets demonstrated improved rally tolerance and transition offense, particularly in sets two and four. Graceland recorded 63 digs, including 21 from Benjamin Gorton-Hülgerth, anchoring back-row coverage.

In the decisive fifth set, Central Christian used a late scoring run to secure the match, limiting Graceland to five kills with seven errors in the final frame.

Head coach Eric Majors emphasized execution and growth across the weekend.

"We saw improvement in our offensive distribution and blocking discipline, especially in system play," Majors said. "Our ability to generate kills in transition improved, but we need to reduce service errors and maintain efficiency in out-of-system situations to close sets.

Graceland returns home for its final match of the season and Senior Day, hosting Morningside on Tuesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. CDT at the Morden Center in Lamoni, Iowa. The match marks the conclusion of the 2026 campaign for the Yellowjackets.

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