SIOUX CITY, Iowa – [Box Score] It took a total team effort to earn the victory as the Missouri Baptist women's volleyball team won a five-set thriller over No. 12 Vanguard, (25-22, 26-28, 25-23, 19-25, and 15-13). The victory creates a berth into the National Championship Quarterfinal match against No. 4 Texas at Brownsville.

"That was a fun match to be a part of," said head coach Chris Nichols. "Vanguard is a great team and we have a lot of respect for them, so that was a huge victory."

Missouri Baptist (38-3) hit .192 in the victory, posting 68 kills and 30 errors on 198 swings. Vanguard ended the season with a 25-13 record after hitting .226 in the match. The Lions posted 69 kills and 26 errors on 190 swings.

Junior Hannah Carey earned Hampton Inn & Suites Star of the Match honors after posting career-high numbers. The West Sussex, England native went off for the Spartans, posting a career-high 25 kills and just four errors on 43 swings. She added seven digs and three block assists over the five sets. "Hannah was not only spectacular from the right side, but she put a lot of pressure on Vanguard from the service line," said Nichols. "That might have been her best match as a Spartan."

Junior setter Ally Krus led the Spartans with 59 assists. She added seven digs and two block assists.

Junior libero Haley Pouliezos recorded 31 digs in the contest to lead the Spartans.

Junior Taylor Cook was well-rounded in the match, posted a team-high three service aces, while adding 17 digs and nine kills.

From the first serve, the intensity was high for both programs. Vanguard jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Spartans battled back to tie the set at 7-7. Missouri Baptist went on a 3-0 run to take a 9-7 lead, but the Lions answered with an 8-3 run to take a 15-12 lead.

Coach Nichols called a timeout to stop the momentum, which was just what the Spartans needed. Vanguard made two unforced errors, Kristina Medanovic posted a solo block, and then followed with a kill during a 4-0 MBU run. That put Missouri Baptist on top 16-15, but the drama was just beginning.

Vanguard called a timeout after the Spartans took a 23-21 lead on a Carey missile. A Lion attack errors moved the set to match point, but a service error by the Spartans kept the set alive. Carey ended the set with a kill, which would set the stage for her massive match. The Spartans won the first set, 25-22.

MBU hit .205 in the set, while Vanguard hit just .125.

The second set featured much more drama. After the Lions took a 4-0 lead and coach Nichols called a timeout, the Spartans began to chip away at the deficit.

Two consecutive blocks for the Spartans cut the deficit to just 10-9, forcing Vanguard to call a timeout. The Lions responded with a 11-6 run to take a 21-15 commanding lead. Coach Nichols made the decision to bring in freshman Shelby Clifton. The pesky outside hitter from Mountain Grove, Mo. sparked an 8-1 run for the Spartans, and capped things off with a service ace. That gave Missouri Baptist a 23-22 lead, and erased a six point deficit. "For Shelby to come in for a player of Mallory Dillon's caliber, that is a lot of pressure," said Nichols. "Shelby played awesome defense and made a nice run at the service line."

Vanguard responded with two straight points, putting the Spartans on the ropes. Hannah Carey shouldered the load with back-to-back set-tying kills. The Lions outlasted the Spartans with a 28-26 set win, tying the match at one win apiece. "Although we lost the set, Shelby provided a spark for us that carried through the rest of the match," said coach Nichols. "It is unusual for a freshman to come into a match of this magnitude and give us a jump-start."

Missouri Baptist hit a match-high .292 in the set, posting 19 kills and five errors on 48 swings. Vanguard also posted a match-high .378 attack percentage, recording 21 kills and just four errors on 45 swings.

The third set was a mirror image of the second set, as Vanguard exploded to a 5-0 lead. The Lions lead 10-4 before a 3-0 run by the Spartans cut the deficit to 10-7. Taylor Cook posted two of her three aces in the contest on back-to-back serves during the run.

Vanguard used a 7-3 run to extend the lead to 17-10, the largest lead of the set. The team from St. Louis responded with a massive 12-3 run, which put Missouri Baptist on top, 22-20.

The Lions used a kill and a block to tie the set at 23-23, but Mallory Dillon blasted a kill to give the Spartans set point.

Taylor Cook and Jen Brendel teamed-up for a block to win the set, 25-23, which gave Missouri Baptist a 2-1 lead in the match.

Missouri Baptist hit .130 in the set, posting 14 kills and eight errors on 46 swings. Vanguard recorded a .184 attack percentage, with 13 kills and six errors on 38 swings.

Vanguard reversed the situation in set four. After Missouri Baptist built a commanding 15-10 lead, the Lions ended the set on a 15-4 run to defeat the Spartans, 25-19. Vanguard hit .214 in the set, posting 15 kills and six errors on 42 swings. Missouri Baptist was limited to a match-low .108 attack percentage in the set, with ten kills and six errors on 37 swings.

That set up a decisive fifth set for a spot in the National Championship Quarterfinals.

Missouri Baptist took a 9-5 lead in set five, but Vanguard used a 5-0 run to jump on top, 10-9. Coach Nichols called a timeout to rally the troops, resulting in a set-tying kill by Medanovic.

After Vanguard took an 11-10 lead, Mallory Dillon blasted back-to-back kills to give the Spartans a 12-11 lead. The Lions tied the set at 12-12, but Dillon rifled another kill to retake the lead.

Vanguard once again tied the set at 13-13, but the Star of the Match blasted the go-ahead kill. That forced the Lions to call a timeout in hopes to keep the season alive.

Mallory Dillon put the finishing touches on the match with a match-winning service ace. The Spartans won the set, 15-13.

Missouri Baptist will play No. 4 Texas at Brownsville at 5:45 in the NAIA National Championship Quarterfinal. Fans can watch the match live at www.NAIANetwork.com.