ST. LOUIS—[GAME 1 BOX] [GAME 2 BOX] Missouri Baptist Men's Volleyball found its rhythm early and often on Friday against the Dordt (Iowa) Defenders. Missouri Baptist put together two dominant performances in consecutive 3-0 sweeps in St. Louis.
Missouri Baptist (19-2, 8-1) put together two masterful performances as several of the younger members of the squad came to the forefront.
In the first match, it was Ivan Trifunovic that put together one of his best matches of the season thus far. The outside hitter from Nis, Serbia recorded 11 kills on 15 swings with an even more impressive .733 attack percentage.
Ethan Mourer saw his most extended action of the season at setter and didn't disappoint. The freshman collected 35 assists in the first set and exploded for 43 in the second in his first starts of his career for the Spartans.
The Spartans ran away with the first two sets, 25-12 and 25-11, thanks in large part to the service game of Cam Hibbler. The sophomore collected five service aces in the first match and kept the Defenders off balance the entire match.
The second match of the evening began with the closest set of the night. Though the Spartans ended with a 25-20 win in the opening frame, Ben Tiemersma put together a gutty performance and finished with eight kills in the match.
The Spartans received fantastic play out of Luka Cajic. The freshman outside hitter provided a lift for the Spartan offense and led the team with 16 kills and a .464 attack percentage.
Drew Iliff also posted 10 kills and a .444 attack percentage while Will Merzweiler and Christian Barnes, a pair of local products, combined for 14 kills in the match.
The Spartans will get a much-deserved week away from the hardwood before returning on March 22 in Marshall, Mo., to take on the No. 8-ranked Missouri Valley Vikings. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
