ST. LOUIS—[BOX SCORE] The Spartans were back in action for the first time in nearly three weeks as they kicked off pool play at the NAIA National Championship Tournament. Missouri Baptist rolled through (20) Northwest University (Wash.) in three sets. The squad has two more matches of pool play this week and must place in the top two in order to advance to the single-elimination round.

As each team battled it out, the match proved to be a tight one. The Spartans finally began to pull away when the front line dished out four back to back kills. Northwest eventually caught back up, giving MBU a run for their money. However, they could not seal the deal, ultimately allowing the Spartans to push past them to take the first set (26-24).

The following two sets came easier for MoBap, as they found their groove, and nearly maintained the lead throughout. The Eagles could not come up with the plays to keep their momentum alive, allowing the Spartans to take the match in three sets.

Statistically, MBU had a solid performance. The Spartans led the match in total kills, more than doubling their opponent. Middle blocker Cate Cigarini led the way with 11 kills total. Marion Couraud followed close behind with a total of 10 kills. Ana Oliveira and Tina Medanovic finished the match with nine total kills each.

Junior Rachel Luebbers stepped up at libero, defending the back line with 19 total digs. She also contributed one assist and one service ace.

The Spartans will continue pool play in Iowa on Wednesday evening against Ottawa University (Kan.). The first serve is set for 8:00 pm.