ST. LOUIS-- [BOX SCORE] [BOX SCORE] Missouri Baptist wrapped up play in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday. The final day of the Hampton Inn Invitational started with a 9 am match against Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), and concluded with St. Francis (Ind.) at 1 pm.
The Spartans started off strong in the opening match, knowing that ONU would be a tough team to beat after falling to them just a week ago. The lead bounced back and forth for a while, until the Tigers caught a break, taking a six point lead. MBU fought back, but ONU managed to keep the lead from there, taking the first set, 25-22.
The second set proved to be nearly identical to the first. Once again, the lead went back and forth, and the Tigers came out on top, 25-20.
It was looking like Olivet Nazarene might take their second match win over MBU for the 2017 season. Halfway through the third set, Head Coach Chris Nichols called a timeout to give the squad time to recuperate, and it turned out to be just what they needed. After two kills each from Tina Medanovic and Maggie Sorenson, the Spartans took the third match, 19-25.
Missouri Baptist hit the court determined to take the game to a tiebreaking set. They managed to keep the lead throughout, but ONU stayed close behind. MBU was up by six points when the Tigers hit a streak, tying the game at 24. The Spartans recognized that they were in trouble, and quickly got the ball back to seal the deal (24-26).
The Spartans were ready for an intense fifth set, quickly taking the lead. Once again, ONU was not going down that easy, as they began to gain on MBU. Coach Nichols made another strategic time out call which paid off, yet again. A Marion Couraud kill ended the game, 10-15. The French senior lead the match in kills, clocking in at 23 total.
Tina Medanovic (10), Maggie Sorenson (9), Cate Cigarini (8), and Kelly Wilson (6) also made substantial kill contributions.
The first two sets of the second match played out much like every other game over the weekend, with another neck and neck contest. Toward the end of the first set the Spartans finally gained the lead they needed, taking the win, 25-21.
Unfortunately, the second set was not in MBU's favor. Three consecutive kills from USF allowed them to take the match, 23-25.
In the third set, Missouri Baptist found themselves in another back and forth game. Halfway through, the front line decided enough was enough and started dishing out kills. The Spartans' attackers contributed 14 points to the team, allowing them to come out on top, 25-11.
The fourth set began just as the third until the Spartans found their groove. Once again, they won 25-13, taking the match in four sets.
While the front row had a superb performance, the back row also made an equal share of contributions. MaryGrace Masters led the Spartans in digs with 15 total. Rachel Poole and Marion Couraud were close behind with 11 each.
Poole was a force to be reckoned with at setter, as well. She broke her 2017 season assist record with 52 against SFU. She currently holds the No. 1 spot in the American Midwest Conference's Assists category with a total of 318.
