ST. LOUIS—The No. 2 Missouri Baptist Spartans earned their third conference win when they swept the visiting No. 3 Chargers of Briar Cliff University (25-21, 25-17, 26-24). With the win, the Spartans move to 10-1 and 3-0 in conference play.
 
Tough serving from the Spartans proved to be too much for the Chargers as the team finished with 12 aces, holding Briar Cliff to just three service aces. MBU also out-blocked the Chargers 9-6.
 
The match began in the Spartans favor as things started with a Briar Cliff attacking error, followed by two service aces from setter Kyle Foley. While it was a tight score, MoBap never trailed in the first set. Using kills from Steven Rodriguez and Jack Huizinga, MBU eventually pushed their lead, 23-18. Three errors in a row from the Spartans brought the Chargers within just a couple points of catching up. However, it would not be enough for the Chargers, as a kill from outside hitter Luka Cajic sealed the first set for MBU, 25-21.
 
The Chargers jumped out to a quick 7-4 lead in the second set. They managed to maintain their lead until a kill from Cajic sparked a three-point service run from Cameron Hibbler to help the Spartans move past them, 12-10. The Chargers began to fight their way back into the game, narrowing the Spartan lead to just one point. With Inman on the service line, the Spartans rattled off eight points in a row to take a nine-point lead. Briar Cliff fought back, once again, but kills from Hibbler and Rodriguez gave the Spartans the second set win, 25-17.
 
The third set began in the Chargers favor, as the Spartans found themselves down 1-5 early on. However, the Spartans found their groove, as multiple kills tied things up. It was then that the back and forth play began. With the Spartans down 19-22, a service error from the Chargers followed by a kill from Rodriguez closed the gap, 21-22. Back-to-back errors from the Spartans gave the Chargers set point, and it appeared the match would be going to a fourth game. However, a kill from Cajic gave the Spartans another spark of hope. Huizinga served a tough ace, and that was followed by a powerhouse block from Hibbler and Foley to tie the score at 24. Huizinga served another ace, followed by another Spartan block from Foley and Rodriguez to give the Spartans the third and final set, 26-24.
 
Junior outside hitter Steven Rodriguez led the Spartans with 12 kills and four digs. Sophomore Luka Cajic followed just behind with 11 kills.
Opposite hitter Jack Huizinga contributed six kills, six digs, and two service aces, while junior middle blocker Cameron Hibbler chipped in five kills and three service aces. Senior Kyle Foley handed out 33 assists to go along with four service aces. Defensively, junior libero Colton Inman led the way with 10 digs.
 
The Spartans are back in action Thursday, February 15, where they will host the Vikings of Missouri Valley. Game time is set for 7 pm inside the Petty SRC.