By Aidan Bearden / Staff Writer 

The Missouri Valley University Women’s Volleyball team hosted four home matches this past week, winning three. MVU dropped their home opener against conference rival Central Methodist University. However, they bounced back strongly, beating Mission University (MO), St. Ambrose University (IA), and Culver-Stockton College (MO). This week’s performance led them to be ranked seventh in the conference, with a conference record of 3-2.

In the home-opener match against CMU on Sept. 15, MVU lost 3-1. On Sept. 16, MVU beat Mission 3-1. On Sept. 18, MVU beat St. Ambrose in a close match, 3-2. MVU ended the week in straight sets against Culver-Stockton on Sept. 19 to earn the team’s third conference win of the season. 

Defensive Specialist Emily Elias believes that her team performs better when backed by a home crowd. However, she said that the home-court advantage goes beyond the Valley atmosphere; the unorthodox conditions of the Burns Athletic Complex also play a role. 

When describing the conditions of Burns, she said, “It’s extremely hot, but I think that we’re able to use that in our favor against other teams.” 

The extreme heat of the past week has had an effect on the facility, raising temperatures inside the gym. This heat has had an effect on the game by causing increased sweating from players, which can make the court slick, leading players to slip during matches. However, Elias believes that these particular gym conditions have given the team an advantage.

“We’re the only gym in the conference without AC,” said Elias. “So other teams come to us, and they’re sweating, tired, but we’ve been here since August, and we know how to handle it.”

This homecourt advantage could help the team’s success this season, as they have one more conference home match than the previous year.