DES MOINES, Iowa — The No. 1 ranked Spartans of Missouri Baptist University took on the No. 2 Vikings of Grand View University in the semifinals of the NAIA National Invitational on Friday afternoon.

With MBU's only loss on the season coming from Grand View, the Spartans looked to set the bar even, but they were unable to pull out the win, dropping the contest in four sets (21-25, 22-25, 25-19, 22-25). Missouri Baptist's season comes to end with the loss, finishing with a 25-2 overall record.

Sophomore outside hitter Luka Cajic played well for the Spartans, finishing with 20 kills and nine digs, while junior outside hitter Steven Rodriguez followed with 15 kills, three service aces, and five digs. Junior middle blocker Cameron Hibbler finished with seven kills, and junior libero Colton Inman picked up seven digs. Senior setter Kyle Foley handed out 39 assists, also grabbing 6 digs.

Tough serving got the Spartans out to an early lead, causing a timeout from the Vikings. Out of the timeout, a kill from Grand View halted the Spartans scoring run, but two big kills from Cajic kept the Spartans rolling. Holding a two-point lead, the Spartans battled with the Vikings until a service ace brought Grand View within one (12-13). A service ace from Huizinga put the Spartans back ahead by three, 15-12, before a service error closed the gap, once again.

MBU struggled on the service line, allowing the Vikings to keep the score close. A kill from freshman middle blocker Gabe Norsigian put MBU back in the lead by three-points, 19-16, forcing Grand View to take their second timeout of the set.

After the timeout, four quick points from the Vikings tied the score at 20, causing MBU to take their first timeout. Three more points from Grand View put them in the lead 23-21, forcing MBU to burn their second timeout of the set. Down two-points, an attack error from MBU followed by a block from the Vikings caused MBU to drop the first set, 21-25.

MBU jumped out to another quick lead in the second set with kills coming from Hibbler and Rodriguez. Continuing the theme of tough serving, an ace from Rodriguez put the Spartans up 7-3, before a timeout from Grand View attempted to stop MBU's momentum. Out of the timeout, a service ace from Rodriguez followed by a kill from Foley kept things going for Missouri Baptist as they would continue to push their lead, 12-5. Four consecutive points from the Vikings prompted a timeout from MBU as the lead was shortened, 12-9.

Grand View continued to push out of the timeout, scoring three more points to tie things up. After MBU took their second timeout of the set, the Vikings continued their impressive play and pushed their lead to 14-12 before MBU was finally able to stop the scoring run. Errors began to plague the Spartans as they would allow the Vikings to take another lead. With an 18-21 deficit, kills from Cajic closed the gap to one, 20-21, causing Grand View to take their second timeout. The teams continued rallying back and forth, eventually tying at 22 apiece. Two Spartan errors put Grand View back in the lead at set point before a Viking block earned Grand View the second set win, 25-22. 

Both teams traded points early in the third set. A block from Grand View closed the MBU lead before a service ace from freshman Sam Clifford put the Spartans back in the lead. Kills from Rodriguez and Cajic pushed the Spartans lead even further, causing Grand View to take a timeout. The Spartans continued to roll, but the threat of Grand View was still present, forcing MBU to call their first timeout. Two errors from the Vikings eventually earned MBU the third set win, 25-19.

The Vikings took an early lead in the fourth set, but the Spartans managed to keep up. With Clifford on the service line, the Spartans scored three points in a row, including a service ace, to bring themselves within one point. However, the Vikings took back possession, causing MBU to use their first timeout. The teams continued to battle it out, as they traded points back and forth. Unfortunately, the Spartans could not catch the Vikings in time, as they dropped the semifinal match, 25-22.