ST. LOUIS—Men's volleyball kicked off the inaugural championship season in Canton, Mo. on Tuesday evening. After dropping the first set to Culver-Stockton, the Spartans quickly came back, taking the match in four sets.

The first set started off with a few Spartan errors, giving the Wildcats a quick lead (3-0). From there the teams went point for point, with CSC maintaining the lead. MBU stayed right on Culver-Stockton's tail, but errors would ultimately cost them set one, 25-19.

Set two started off with several errors for both sides, as the teams traded possession back and forth, once again. With freshman Miljan Kastratovic at the service line, the Spartans began to find their groove, taking the lead by five (8-3). They managed to stay ahead of the Wildcats from there, cruising to a 25-17 win.

Sets three and four followed suit, with Missouri Baptist taking quick leads in both. Errors began to plague Culver-Stockton as the Spartan front line came alive, dishing out kill after kill. The Spartans had only four errors in the last two sets, compared to 15 from CSC, allowing MBU to claim their first win of the 2019 season (25-16, 25-12).

Miljan Kastratovic made a solid collegiate debut, leading the match in kills with a total of 15 (.591 attack percentage). Luka Cajic and Steven Rodriguez followed closely behind with 14 and 12, respectively.

Skyler Capllonch led the defensive effort, earning 10 digs total, while Jason Harman clocked out at 52 assists.

The Spartans head home to host Campbellsville University (Ky.) on Saturday evening. First serve is set for 7:00 pm at the Petty SRC.