ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Spartans dominated a pair of conference matchups at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy Gymnasium on Friday, defeating both (RV) Briar Cliff and Morningside in three sets. The men were led to victory thanks to solid play by senior Luka Cajic who hit above .700 in both games while collecting 27 total kills and eight service aces.
 
The first set started smoothly for the Spartans against the Chargers in game one as they coasted to a commanding 21-14 lead. A determined Briar Cliff squad refused to make it easy. They proceeded to rattle off six points in a row to pull the game within one.
 
Later in the set, Miljan Kastratovic broke a 23-23 tie to set the stage for a set-ending Charger attack error to give MBU a 1-0 lead.
 
Missouri Baptist continued to ride the momentum to easy set wins in sets two and three. They took set two 25-16 and set three with a 25-15 final.
 
In game two against the Morningside Mustangs, the Spartans dominated set one 25-16 but found much more opposition in the second set.
 
Down 16-15 in set two, kills from Kastratovic and Jack Huizinga started a five-point run that put MBU back on top. Once they were back on top, the men never looked back and took set two 25-19.
 
The Mustangs took another lead in set three, this time separating themselves by six points. Luckily for the Spartans, they were able to battle back from the early 9-3 deficit to tie the match at 18 points.
 
With the hopes of a sweep in mind, Cajic served up two aces to put the Spartans ahead. Thomas Beye furthered the lead with a kill off the assist from freshman Job Faber.
 
MBU would surrender just one more point on their way to a 25-19 set three win and their fifth consecutive sweep. The program has not lost a set since being swept by the sixth-ranked Park Pirates on February 12.
 
Huizinga led the charge against Morningside with a season-high 12 kills on 18 attempts (.611 hitting percentage). Cajic was not far behind him with 10 kills and .909 hitting percentage.
 
"We had another good day from the service line," said head coach Tom Young. "At times we didn't play great volleyball but, in the end, it's nice to get the sweep."
 
The Spartans collected 14 aces in the two games combined. Cajic and Huizinga were responsible for eleven of those service aces.
 
Defensively, Drew Iliff had a strong Friday with eight blocks and Skyler Capllonch piled up 19 digs. Kastratovic also had a notable day with 20 kills.
 
The season continues Wednesday, February 26 for a matchup against the tenth-ranked Ottawa Braves. The opening service is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Ottawa, Kansas.