ST. LOUIS – [Box Score] Nothing could go wrong for the Missouri Baptist women's volleyball team in a 3-0 sweep over No. 8 Columbia, (25-16, 25-17, and 25-16). The AMC Tournament Semifinal victory sets up a rematch with No. 2 Park for the Championship on Saturday.
No. 6 Missouri Baptist (34-2) blasted 40 kills with just nine errors on 87 swings for a hitting percentage of .356. The Spartans missiled 11 service aces over the three sets and recorded eight Total Team Blocks. "We had an excellent week of practice," said head coach Chris Nichols. "The girls executed the game plan and played with a lot of confidence."
The Spartan defense held the Cougars to just a .183 attack percentage and never allowed an ace against them.
Junior Taylor Cook was named Hampton Inn & Suites Star of the Match after hammering nine kills on 15 swings with just two errors. She added two aces, three digs, and one block assist.
Freshman Kristina Medanovic was equally effective, as she torched the Cougars for nine kills and no errors on 15 swings. She recorded two digs, one solo block and one block assist.
Sophomore Mallory Dillon and junior Hannah Carey puzzled Columbia with four service aces each. Dillon added nine kills, while Carey posted six kills.
The first 27-of-41 points in the first set seemed to set up a dramatic match between two of the top teams in the country. MBU led 14-13 at that point, but ended the set on an 11-3 run to win 25-16.
The Spartans hit a match-low .222 in the set, but held Columbia to just a .156 attack percentage.
The second set saw the Spartans trail 9-6 early in the set, but a timeout by head coach Chris Nichols sparked a massive run by the home team. Missouri Baptist scored the next eight points, with three coming via aces from Hannah Carey.
Taylor Cook ended the set with a powerful swing, which gave the Spartans a 25-17 victory.
After the break, the Spartans showed no signs of slowing down. Missouri Baptist hit .586 in the set, downing 20 kills and only three errors on 29 swings en route to a 25-16 win.
Columbia worked the set to a 4-4 tie in the third set, but Mallory Dillon sparked the Spartans with a kill and two service aces over the next six points. That gave MBU a 10-4 lead, which set the tone for the rest of the set.
Every time the Cougars tried to make a run, MBU had an answer. Two of the three Spartan errors in the set came on back-to-back plays, which cut the MBU lead to 18-13. That forced coach Nichols to call a timeout.
Medanovic put the Cougars away by posting three kills over the last four points to push the Spartans to a 25-16 win.
Missouri Baptist celebrated the victory by cutting the hair of head men's volleyball coach John Yehling. He agreed to lowering his ears if the Spartans won in the fashion that they did.
Missouri Baptist will look to take the momentum into the American Midwest Conference Tournament Championship against No. 2 Park on Saturday. The Pirates, who are 33-0, defeated MBU in the regular season, 3-1.
