ST. LOUIS, Mo.-- The No. 2 ranked Missouri Baptist University Spartans hosted the No. 7 Park University Pirates in a highly-anticipated conference matchup. In a gritty contest, the Spartans earned a 3-0 win (25-19, 25-20, 25-21). With the sweep, the Spartans move to a record of 16-1 overall, and 8-0 in conference.
 
Junior outside hitter Steven Rodriguez led the Spartans with 14 kills, while sophomore Luka Cajic finished with 11 kills and four digs. Junior middle blocker Cameron Hibbler added 10 kills of his own on a .769 hitting percentage. Redshirt-freshman Jack Huizinga finished with seven kills, and senior setter Kyle Foley handed out 40 assists, while also serving five aces. Junior libero Colton Inman picked up 14 digs.
 
Both teams traded points early on in the first set. Multiple service errors from the Spartans kept helped keep the score close. The Spartans eventually pushed themselves to a four-point lead with two service aces from Foley (17-13). The Pirates fought back to close the gap a bit, but it was not enough. Three kills from Huizinga forced a timeout from the Pirates as MBU had extended their lead to five (22-17). Following a service ace from Huizinga, a service error from the Pirates gave the Spartans the first set win, 25-19.
 
MBU used errors from the Pirates to jump out to a quick lead in the second set. However, the Pirates quickly regrouped, taking the lead by just one. Another service ace from Foley eventually tied the score at 10 apiece. Kills from Cajic and Huizinga pushed the Spartans to another two-point lead, forcing a timeout from the Pirates. Out of the timeout, MBU continued to push their lead with more kills from the offense. The Spartans took a six-point lead following a big block from Hibbler (18-12), and maintained things from there. Scrappy plays and a kill from Hibbler pushed the Spartans to game point (24-18). The Pirates attempted to make a comeback with back-to-back kills, but it would not be enough as a kill from Cajic closed out the second set win, 25-20.
 
The errors began to pile on for the Pirates in the third set, pushing the Spartans to another quick lead. After an early timeout from Park, two kills from Rodriguez kept the ball rolling for MBU, making it 6-3. Tough serving from the Pirates helped them bounce back to a two-point lead, forcing a timeout from the Spartans. Out of the timeout, two kills from Cajic and a kill from Hibbler helped to spark a scoring run for the Spartans, taking back the lead (14-10). After another timeout from Park, a service ace from Foley kept things going for MoBap. With the score at 23-19, Park gained possession and looked to push the match to four sets. However, they were charged with an out-of-rotation call, giving the Spartans match point. Cajic closed things out for MBU, 25-21.
 
The Spartans are back in action Thursday, March 8 when they host conference opponent Morningside College. Game time is set for 7 pm inside the Carl and Deloris Petty SRC.