Graceland Volleyball Drops Hard-Fought Match to Grand View in Four Sets

Des Moines, Iowa – Graceland University women's volleyball came up short in a tightly contested match against Grand View University, falling 3-1 (22-25, 16-25, 25-23, 14-25) in Heart of America Athletic Conference play on Tuesday night. The loss drops the Yellowjackets to 2-19 overall and 1-11 in conference, while the Vikings improved to 9-12 overall and 7-3 in the conference.

Despite the result, Graceland had flashes of strong play throughout the evening, most notably in the third set when the Yellowjackets managed to secure a 25-23 victory to extend the match. Senior outside hitter Brenna Crabtree led the way for Graceland with 18 kills on 36 attempts, hitting at a .306 clip and contributing three digs. She received support from Grace Jensen, who posted 11 kills and a .200 hitting percentage. Sophomore Shelby Jabour anchored the defense with 19 digs and added one service ace.

Graceland struggled offensively in the first two sets, hitting .136 and .120, respectively, while Grand View capitalized with a .375 hitting percentage in the first set and .455 in the second. However, the Yellowjackets responded in the third set, recording their highest hitting percentage of the match at .268, and took control late in the set to edge out a narrow win at 25-23. Graceland's fourth set mirrored earlier struggles as the team hit just .161, allowing Grand View to close out the match.

Head Coach Stew McDole acknowledged the team's solid moments but highlighted the need for more consistent execution. "We played two sets of high-level volleyball tonight. We've done that all year—playing well incrementally hasn't been an issue," McDole said. "The challenge continues to be 90 minutes of sustained execution. This team has been so good about turning the page and getting back to work. That's exactly what we'll do to prepare for the weekend."

Grand View's offensive attack was led by Sydney Beasley, who posted 20 kills on 39 attempts with a .462 hitting percentage. She was supported by Kaylee Stalder, who added 14 kills on 26 attempts, hitting at a .423 clip. The Vikings also controlled the net defensively, tallying 16 block assists across the match.

Graceland's serving game saw both positive and negative moments, with the team recording six service aces, including two each from Sera Tofi and Sierra Kauweloa, but they also committed 12 service errors, which hampered their ability to build momentum at key moments.

The Yellowjackets will look to rebound quickly as they head back into action this weekend in northeast Iowa. Graceland is scheduled to face Clarke University on Friday night in a 7 p.m. conference match at the Kehl Center in Dubuque. On Saturday, the team will travel to Cedar Rapids to take on Mount Mercy University at 1 p.m.

Graceland University continues to work toward improving its conference standing, with Coach McDole's squad determined to push through their recent challenges and capitalize on their strengths. The focus remains on building consistency and learning from each match as they approach the final stretch of the season.

For more information and updates on Graceland Volleyball and all of Yellowjacket athletics visit us at GUjackets.com.