ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist women's volleyball picked-up another win and its first loss of the season in a win over Evangel, 3-1, and a loss to No. 18 Lindsey Wilson 3-1 in the St. Thomas University Invitational.
Missouri Baptist (2-1) dropped its first set of the season in the first match against Evangel, but managed to come back and grab the victory.
The Spartans began the match with a 25-18 victory as Maddy Hammack's play led the way. Hammack finished the match with a double-double, notching 23 kills, 13 digs, one solo block and four assisted blocks.
Hammack's solid match was set-up by sophomore setter Ally Krus. The St. Louis native also recorded a double-double with 41 assists and 11 digs to lead both teams.
In addition to the offensive production by Hammack and Krus, freshman Jen Brendel came up big at middle. The newcomer posted five kills and a .385 attack percentage in her second consecutive start.
In the second match, the Spartans played the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders close early, but fell-off in the second set. The contest was a rematch of last season's NAIA National Championship Pool Play match in Sioux City, Iowa.
After dropping the first two sets, Missouri Baptist came firing back to grab a late lead in the third set. With its back against the wall, the team managed to take a 25-20 win in the third before losing the fourth set.
Madeline Nesbit led the way for the Spartans in set two. The senior from Belleville, Ill. posted 12 kills and one solo block, ending the match with a .450 attack percentage.
Taylor Cook also had a nice match with a double-double (10 kills, 11 digs) while Hannah Carey added seven kills and two service aces of her own.
With the loss, Missouri Baptist drops to 2-1 on the year heading into Saturday. The Spartans are scheduled for two matches against opponents that received votes in NAIA Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll, released on Tuesday. The squad will face Indiana Tech at 9:00 a.m. CDT before the final match against Kansas Wesleyan at 1:00 p.m. Both matches will be streamed courtesy of St. Thomas University Athletics. Links for the streams can be found at mbuspartans.com.
