ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] No. 2 ranked Missouri Baptist Men's Volleyball defeated Briar Cliff (Iowa) 3-1 (25-16, 22-25, 25-17, 25-19) on Thursday night to advance to the Midwest Conference Championship game on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans got off to fast start in the first set. With the Chargers ahead 2-1, Daniel Prada stepped to the service line and MBU reeled off five straight points. They never looked back from there. Mico Janicijevic posted six kills as the Spartans rolled to a 25-16 opening set win.
In the second set, Briar Cliff proved they were not to be taken lightly. MBU looked to be trending toward another set victory but the Chargers ended the frame with five straight points. The visitors erased a 22-21 deficit and evened the match at one.
The setback proved to be what Missouri Baptist needed to re-focus. Sets three and four were more of what we've seen from the No. 2 team in the nation all season. The Spartans stormed through the final two frames without ever relinquishing a lead.
Luka Cajic stepped forward and took control for MBU. The freshman from Serbia registered 11 kills combined in sets three and four. He finished with 18 on the night on 33 swings (.472 hitting percentage).
Cajic's fellow Serbian, Mico Janicijevic, was equally impressive. The senior matched his output from the first set with six more kills in final frame. Janicijevic finished with 17 kills on 42 attacks (.262 hitting percentage). He narrowly missed the double-double, ending the night with 9 digs.
Kyle Foley was on all night at the setter position. The junior posted 46 of MBU's 50 total assists in the match.
The win improves the Spartans' record to 24-2 and advances them to the Midwest Conference Championship. For the third time in 2017, they will meet up with No. 5 ranked Ottawa University. The Braves are responsible for one of the two blemishes on the Spartans' record, having swept the navy and white in the first match of the season. Missouri Baptist won the rematch in four sets on February 14. The conference title match will tip off at 12pm on Saturday, April 8, inside the Petty SRC.
