ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Gustavo Cintron and Jonathan Roldan combined for 29 kills in the semifinal match of the MAMVIC Tournament on Friday as Missouri Baptist men's volleyball went on to upset the top-seeded Pirates in straight sets.
Missouri Baptist (16-12) played like it had something to prove in the match from the first serve. The team started the first two sets down, but never let Park lead by more than four in any game. As the team continued to play, its confidence seemed to grow.
In the first set, Roldan came to the forefront. The Miami native recorded six kills, while setter, Robert Esser floated 12 assists in the game.
MBU played another close one in game two. The score went back and forth to a tie game beginning at the 22nd point. Finally, at the 27th point, Missouri Baptist broke through and won two points in a row to take the match and a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
The third game was another tight affair, but Missouri Baptist was victorious in the end. Cintron slammed several clutch kills in the final points, while Zach Zeris and Esser combined for a block on Park's Zach Penolio to win the match and upset the top seed in the tournament.
Missouri Baptist now advances to the MAMVIC West championship match on Saturday when they will play the third-seeded Graceland University at 12:00 p.m.
