ST. LOUIS—It was an action-packed evening at the Petty SRC, as the Spartans hosted Lincoln College (Ill.) and (RV) St. Ambrose University (Iowa). Missouri Baptist managed to stay perfect, taking the win over each opponent.

The first match got off to a slow start, as the Spartans and Lynx of Lincoln College went point for point in set one. Missouri Baptist seemed to lack momentum as the Lynx stayed on their tail throughout. Tied at 22 each, Coach Tom Young called his first timeout. Out of the break, middle blocker Cameron Hibbler would dish out two kills to put MBU at game point. An error from LC granted the Spartans set one, 25-22.

Missouri Baptist found their groove in sets two and three, as they rolled out to a comfortable lead in each. They dominated on the front line, doubling and surpassing Lincoln's kill total. The Spartans would go on to claim the sweep (25-15 and 25-14).

The second matchup of the day was nothing short of a thriller as the Fighting Bees gave the No. 1 ranked Spartans a run for their money. The score remained tight throughout the entire match with each side giving their all. MBU slid past St. Ambrose in sets one and two (25-22 and 25-21), however, the Bees did not go down without a fight. Untimely Spartan errors allowed SAU to take sets three and four (26-24 and 25-20), forcing MBU to their first tiebreaking set of 2019.

Adrenaline was running high heading into the fifth set, as the teams continued to go back and forth. The score was evened out at eight each when a kill from Steven Rodriguez put the Spartans ahead (9-8). From there, they would hold the lead, eventually claiming victory over the Bees, 15-12.

Freshman Miljan Kastratovic led the way in the kills category, finishing up with a total of 26. Luka Cajic (21), Cameron Hibbler (20) and Steven Rodriguez (18) each finished with double-digit kills, as well.

Setter Jason Harman put up 53 assists, while libero Skyler Capllonch clocked out at 19 total digs. Lastly, Jack Huizinga ended the day with an impressive five service aces.

The Spartans hit the road on Wednesday, February 27. They will head to Ottawa University to take on the Braves at 6 p.m.