Pioneers Fall at William Woods

The Basics
Score: William Woods 3 – MidAmerica Nazarene 0
Record: MNU (20-7, 14-4), WWU (19-11, 10-8)
Location: Fulton, Mo. – Anderson Arena

FULTON, Mo. – #25 MNU dropped its regular season finale on Saturday afternoon, falling 27-29, 21-25, 18-25 to William Woods in straight sets.

The Pioneers battled through three competitive frames but couldn't slow down the Owls' offense, led by Luciana Paiva Pereir's 20 kills on a .395 hitting percentage. MNU finished the Heart regular season at 14-4.

MNU jumped out quickly in the opening set, taking a 20-17 lead behind Mia Olson and Isabella Munari, who combined for nine first-set kills. However, William Woods rallied late, erasing multiple set points to edge the Pioneers 29-27 in a back-and-forth finish.

The second set followed a similar pattern. MidAmerica Nazarene built a 17-13 lead after a kill from Pavlina Pelcova and a service ace by Callie Winebarger, but the Owls responded with a 10-1 run to take control. MNU's late push came up short as William Woods held on 25-21.

In the third, the Owls' attack remained efficient, while MNU's offense struggled to find rhythm, dropping the final frame 25-18.

Olson and Munari each finished with 9 kills, while Alyssa Reichard added 7 and Pelcova chipped in 6. Thomas directed the offense with 25 assists and contributed two service aces. Defensively, Emily Mathis led MNU with 17 digs, and Dominika Bartosz anchored the back row with 7.

Turning Point
Late in the first set, MNU led 27-26 and appeared poised to take the opener. But a pair of kills by the Owls fueled a 29-27 comeback win, swinging momentum in their favor for the rest of the match.

Individual Leaders
Mia Olson: 9 kills, .533 hitting, 2 blocks
Isabella Munari: 9 kills, .179 hitting, 2 blocks
Alyssa Reichard: 7 kills, .240 hitting, 7 digs
Pavlina Pelcova: 6 kills, .385 hitting, 2 blocks
Alex Thomas: 25 assists, 2 aces, 4 digs
Emily Mathis: 17 digs

Up Next
MNU enters the Heart of America Conference Tournament next week as the 3 seed. The Pioneers host 6-seed Baker on Saturday at 2:00.