ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Missouri Baptist overcame a slow start on Thursday after four nights away from competition to beat crosstown opponent Maryville University 3-0.
MBU starts with three-point run, but Maryville countered. The Saints took advantage of a sluggish Spartan squad, posting an 11-8 lead, forcing Missouri Baptist to call its first timeout of the set. After the break, the Saints continued to roll, opening up a 15-11 lead midway through.
The Spartans took over at this point. MBU went on an eight-point run to take a 19-15 lead and refused to relinquish it, going on to a 25-20 first-set win. Maddy Hammack was especially big in bringing the team back from the deficit, notching four kills and a .375 attack percentage in the set.
The second set had a similar start, but the Spartans kept it close as Maryville began with a slight lead. As Missouri Baptist began to build an early lead, up 5-3, the Saints called their first timeout. After building a 9-5 lead, Maryville came back. Led by the play of Hana Michael (4 kills, 1 ace, 1 solo block), the Saints tied the score at nine, but were not able to force a lead change. The Spartans continued to run their fast-paced offense, keeping its opponent off-balance enough to take the second set 25-18.
After an extended second intermission, play resumed with a surge by Maryville. The Saints jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead before Missouri Baptist began to get back into it. After an attack error by MU, the Spartans erased the two-point deficit to build a two point lead thanks to the impressive serving by Hannah Carey.
Missouri Baptist found out quickly that Maryville would not make anything easy. The Saints kept pace with MBU throughout the set. As quickly as the Spartans attempted to pull away, MU was up to the challenge. The Saints played tough and took a 15-14 lead midway through the second set.
Just as it seemed the Spartans would have issues building a lead, MBU broke free. The team, led again by the solid offensive effort of Maddy Hammack, finished-off the Saints with a 25-17 win.
For Missouri Baptist, Hammack came up big all night. The junior recorded 15 kills with a .370 attack percentage. Reigning NAIA National Player of the Week also had a good outing, posting 30 assists with a 10 assist per game average.
Missouri Baptist improved to 27-1 with the win and will play NAIA No. 25 Park University on Friday. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at the Carl and Deloris Petty Sports and Recreation Complex.
