PARKVILLE, Mo. – Top-ranked Missouri Baptist women's volleyball saw its 18-match winning streak come to an end Thursday following a 27-25, 25-22, 25-20 setback at No. 6 Park University in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Game of the Week. Seeking their first victory over the Pirates since 2015, the Spartans were unable to take a set from the defending NAIA national champs in front of an always electric crowd at the Breckon Sports Center.
 
Dropping to 18-4 overall and 4-1 in the AMC, No. 1 Missouri Baptist has now lost 10 of its last 11 matchups against the Pirates. Park, on the other hand, improved to 14-2 and remains perfect in conference at 4-0.
 
Thursday evening's season low hitting percentage of .088 marked just the second time all season that the Spartans were limited to a clip below .100. While MBU finished the match with a 55-54 advantage in points (kills + service aces + blocks), the match ultimately came down to who played a cleaner game. The difference maker in the AMC Game of the Week was the 26 attack errors committed by the Spartans compared to Park's 12.
 
The powerhouse programs traded blows in the first set, which went beyond 25 and included 12 ties and four lead changes. MoBap battled back from a four-point deficit to tie the frame at 14-all. Following a kill by 2018 NAIA Player of the Year Nada Meawad to put Park up 15-14, the Spartans rattled off five straight points for a 19-15 advantage. Down the stretch though, the MBU miscues were too rampant to overcome. The home team squeezed out a 27-25 win.
 
Unlike the back-and-forth battle in the opening frame, Park led the entire second set. Down by as much as six on two different occasions, the resilient Spartans gave themselves a chance and were able to pull within one late in the set at 22-21. Park once again prevailed winning 25-22.
 
Set 3 had a similar feel to the first set as Park and MBU traded the lead early on. With a 9-5 lead, Missouri Baptist's momentum was halted with a 6-0 run by the Pirates. The home team built a big enough cushion to withstand one last effort by the Spartans that included five straight points. Senior Caterina Cigarini was one of the catalysts in the push including a kill and two block assists as well as two service aces from sophomore setter Morgan Berry. With the 25-20 win in Set 3, Park secured its fifth victory win over the Spartans.
 
Offensively, the Spartans were led by Cigarini and junior outside hitter Isidora Stojovic who had 9 kills apiece. Cigarini also registered 5 blocks, 3 digs and 2 assists.
 
Defensively, Missouri Baptist had three players with 10+ digs. Setter Morgan Berry posted her fifth double-double with 33 assists and 15 digs and also led all players with 5 service aces. Libero Ariana Macies kept numerous plays alive on the night which was evidenced by her 27 digs. The 27 digs (9.0 d/s) is the second-highest output for Macies this season and most in a 3-set match.
 
No. 1 Missouri Baptist will look to rebound next week when they trek to Arkansas for AMC matchups with Central Baptist (6-10, 1-4 AMC) and Lyon (10-8, 2-2 AMC).