St. Louis, Mo.- In the final match of the Missouri Baptist Invitational the Spartans were looking be the only team that went undefeated. The team took care of business winning 25-21, 25-19, 25-27 and 25-18.
In the first set the team jumped out to an early 6-3 lead, only to have the Wolves claw their way back into the game. Each team traded points with the Spartans being able to extend their lead to 21-18. MBU was able to hold off CSU for the 25-21 win.
In set two, the Spartans were looking to add to the momentum they gained in the first set. The scores continued to go back and forth, with neither team wanting to give an edge. The Spartans never had a lead bigger than three until the score was 23-19. MBU held on for the 25-19 win.
The most entertaining set happened in number three. However, Cardinal Stritch jumped out to an early 10-8 lead. The Spartans did their best to stay in the match, but CSU was able fight off MBU. The team didn't give up and were able to even the score up at 17-17. Missouri Baptist continued its offensive pressure and were up 24-23 trying to get match point. However, Cardinal Stritch battled back winning 27-25.
Missouri Baptist was looking to close out the match in the fourth set in hopes of winning the Invitational. The team was down early, but came back and earned a 14-11 advantage. The Spartans then went on a 4-2 run to extend their lead to 18-13. The Wolves took a timeout in hopes of slowing down the teams' offense. MBU controlled the rest of the game for the 25-18 win.
The team had strong offensive game with 56 kills and 47 assists. MBU's Gustavo Cintron led the Spartans in kills with 15. Robert Esser had 44 assists and Danny Traylor added seven digs.
Missouri Baptist stays perfect on the year and will look for their fourth win in a row when they host Saint Ambrose University on January 20th at 7:00 p.m.
