ST. LOUIS – [Box Score] The injury and sickness bug could not slow down the Missouri Baptist women's volleyball squad tonight, as the Spartans defeated AMC foe Lindenwood-Belleville, 3-1 (25-21, 19-25, 25-14, 25-12). The victory improved the No. 19 Spartans to 13-1, 2-0.
With several key players either injured or not playing at 100%, head coach Chris Nichols needed to find the right formula to earn a victory over the Lynx. What he found was a solid blend of offense and defense from the entire lineup. Five different Spartans had five or more kills in the contest, while four players had at least ten digs in the contest.
Sophomore Jen Brendel led the offensive attack with a magical 14 kills on 27 swings for an attack percentage of .407. She also posted four digs and five block assists. "Jen carried the offensive load for us tonight," said Nichols. "She absolutely took over games three and four."
Junior Taylor Cook posted 14 kills on 39 swings and also recorded 11 digs.
Junior Hannah Carey pounded nine kills on 27 swings.
Junior Ally Krus posted her fourth double-double in the last six matches. She had 43 assists over four sets and posted 11 digs. Krus also had one solo block and one block assist to go with two kills.
Junior Haley Pouliezos recorded 27 digs to lead MBU. She added two service aces and two assists in the contest.
"We played pretty average in games one and two," said Nichols. "In games three and four, our team blocking was outstanding."
From the first serve, the two teams battled back-and-forth. Lindenwood-Belleville held its largest lead of the set at 12-7, but the Spartans roared back to take a 14-13 lead. The Spartans would take the lead for good when a Lynx attack error pushed the MBU lead to 22-21. Missouri Baptist would score the final four points of the set to win, 25-21.
The Spartans hit just .082 in the game, with 13 kills on 49 swings. Lindenwood-Belleville hit .150 after posting 12 kills on 40 swings.
In the second game, the Spartans would tie the score at 8-8, but the Lynx scored the next seven points to take a 15-8 lead. That run would give Lindenwood-Belleville enough of a cushion to win the set, 25-19. The Spartans hit a dismal .024 in the game, posting 13 kills and 12 errors on 42 swings. The Lynx hit a game-high .231 on nine kills on 26 swings.
Missouri Baptist took over the final two games, as Brendel went on the prowl. The Spartans scored in bunches, starting from the first serve.
Molly DeClue started things off by posting a service ace on the first serve. That would be followed by two blocks by freshman Kristina Medanovic to extend the lead to 3-0. Medanovic then pounded a kill to give MBU a 5-0 lead before the Lynx could get on the board.
After Lindenwood-Belleville cut the MBU lead to 6-4, the Spartans went on a 9-2 run to extend the lead to 15-6. Brendel posted three blocks during that span, which forced the Lynx to misfire on six different swings.
The largest lead in the set for the Spartans came on the winning point, as MBU won game three, 25-14. MBU hit a match-high .370 in the set, posting 11 kills and only one error on 27 swings. The Lynx hit -.044 with 10 kills and 12 errors on 45 attacks.
The deciding set of the night was dominated by the 19th ranked Spartans. After Lindenwood-Belleville took an early 2-1 lead, the visiting team welcomed the Lynx to the AMC with an overwhelming offensive attack.
Back-to-back kills by Brendel gave MBU a 3-2 lead and the Spartans would not trail the remainder of the match. MBU would end the set by outscoring the Lynx 10-4 to win the set, 25-12. Missouri Baptist hit .308 in the set, recording 11 kills and three errors on 26 attacks. Lindenwood-Belleville hit -.038 in the set with four kills and five errors on 26 swings.
The navy and white travels to Saint Louis College of Pharmacy on Thursday, with first serve set for 7:00 pm.
