ST. LOUIS—[BOX SCORE] Women's Volleyball continued conference play in arguably the most intense match of the season yet, taking on the Lynx of Lindenwood-Belleville. After five sets, Missouri Baptist managed to come out on top, remaining undefeated in the American Midwest Conference.
The Spartans started the match with high energy, but to little avail. Unfortunately, it was not enough to beat out LU-Belleville, as they edged past MBU in the first two sets, 28-26 and 31-29.
The trend continued into the third set, as the score was tied nearly the entire time (24 set ties). The Spartans finally found a solid lead after a kill from Tina Medanovic (5). It was from there that they were able to keep their lead and advance the match to a fourth set (25-19).
After finding their groove, the Spartans took Lindenwood to a tie-breaking set (25-18). Aside from just one LU-B lead, the fourth set was MBU's for the taking as they managed to stay ahead throughout. The fifth set would decide which team would remain undefeated in the AMC.
The Spartans were not ready to back down, as they hit the court for the tie-breaking set with great momentum. The squad immediately took the lead and held onto it. It looked like the Lynx may catch back up, but that chance was taken away after a game-winning kill from Maggie Sorensen.
Marion Couraud led the Spartans in kills with a total of 26. Sorensen and Cate Cigarini were close behind with 12 and 11, respectively. Freshman Brilee Henson was also a force to be reckoned with at the net, ending the evening with nine kills and the Spartans best hitting percentage (.389).
Junior Ana Oliveira stepped up to take over the setter position, and could not have had a better performance. She clocked out at a whopping 59 assists, 13 digs, and one kill.
Last, but not least, the back line also played a key role in the MBU victory. Libero MaryGrace Masters laid the Spartan foundation successfully, contributing two service aces, and 32 digs.
Missouri Baptist will continue conference play at 7 pm on Wednesday, September 27 and Thursday, September 28 at home.
