PARK CLAIMS 2026 HEART MEN’S VOLLEYBALL CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
Presented by 516 Sports Capital
No. 1 nationally ranked Park University (31-0, 19-0) secured the 2026 Heart of America Men's Volleyball Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday in Parkville, Missouri, defeating No. 5 nationally ranked Missouri Valley (23-5, 15-4) in a five-set battle, 3-2.
The Pirates opened the match with a 25-19 set win before Missouri Valley responded with back-to-back victories (25-19, 25-22) to take a 2-1 lead. Facing elimination, Park extended the match with a 28-26 win in the fourth set and completed the comeback with a 17-15 victory in the fifth set.
Park finished with 71 kills on the match, while Missouri Valley totaled 58. Defensively, the Vikings recorded 45 digs compared to 39 by the Pirates.
Missouri Valley advanced to the championship match as the No. 3 tournament seed, earning a 3-0 sweep over No. 2 seed Mount Mercy in the semifinal round.
Park and Missouri Valley met twice during the regular season, with Park earning 3-1 victories in both matchups on Feb. 14 and March 14.
With the win, Park claims the Heart Men's Volleyball Tournament title to cap an undefeated season and earns the conference's automatic bid to the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship. Missouri Valley also secures a spot in the national field.
The NAIA Men's Volleyball Selection Show will take place on Tuesday, April 21 at 11:00 a.m. CT.
The 7th annual NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship will be held April 28 – May 2 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
