ST. LOUIS—The No. 3 ranked Spartans closed out conference play on Tuesday evening. After a sweep over Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.), MBU finishes the 2018 season 11-1 in the American Midwest Conference.

Missouri Baptist jumped out to a quick lead in set one and managed to stay ahead throughout. The Spartans led by 10 (21-11) when the Trojans regained possession in an attempt to make a run. That was shut down by the Spartans after multiple consecutive kills from the front line. A kill from Mallory Moran granted set one to MBU, 25-12.

The second set followed suit with the Spartans quickly rolling to a hefty lead. The Spartans were up 9-2 when Hannibal-LaGrange called their first time out. Out of the timeout, errors began to plague the Trojans while MBU continued to dish out kills. The Spartans rolled through the remainder of set two, taking the win 25-9.

Hannibal-LaGrange gained momentum heading into the third set, going point for point with the Spartans. The teams were tied at 14-14 when Sarah Bolton hit the service line, earning the Spartans a five-point lead (19-14). From there MBU managed to stay head. A kill from Carmen Lazaro sealed the deal, giving Missouri Baptist the match in three sets, 25-21.

Outside hitter Maggie Sorensen led the match in kills with a total of 10 (.600 attack percentage), with Mallory Moran (7) and Carmen Lazaro (6) following closely behind.

Caterina Cigarini and Sarah Bolton were key contributors to the Spartan defense. Cigarini ended the match with seven blocks (three  solo ), while Bolton led the back line with eight digs in just one set played.

The Spartans close out the regular season on Thursday, November 1^st. They will host Lincoln College at 8 p.m.