SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The third-ranked Missouri Baptist women's volleyball team capped off a record-setting season Saturday night at the Tyson Events Center with its second consecutive NAIA title defeating No. 4 Park University (Mo.) in a five-set thriller. Trailing their former AMC rivals 5-0 in the deciding set, the Spartans staged the improbable comeback scoring 15 of the last 18 points. The Spartans edged the two-time national champion Pirates 25-18, 20-25, 25-15, 14-25, 15-8.
 
MBU became the first program to repeat as national champions since Fresno Pacific (2007-10). The Spartans join an elite group that has won consecutive NAIA women's volleyball titles: California Baptist, current NAIA member Columbia (Mo.), Fresno Pacific, Hawaii-Hilo, and Brigham Young-Hawaii (3x). Even more impressive about the feat is that MBU's back-to-back national titles happened in the same calendar year since the 2020 National Championships were pushed to Spring 2021.
 
The Spartans finish the storybook season at 33-2 overall (.942), which sets a new program record for the fewest matches lost in a season (4 in 2014 & 2020-21) and the highest winning percentage in a single season (.904% in 2014). The newly crowned repeat champs will also enter the 2022 season with an NAIA-best 29-match winning streak.
 
Senior setter Manuela Vargas was named the NAIA National Championship Most Valuable Player for the second straight year while also earning All-Tournament Team and Setter of the Tournament. Teammates Giovanna Tapigliani and Isidora Stojovic joined Vargas and 12 other individuals on the prestigious All-Tournament Team. Missouri Baptist head women's volleyball coach Chris Nichols was voted National Championship Coach of the Year for the second time in as many seasons.
 
"Our kids laid everything out there today and came out champions," said Nichols, who was coaching in his third championship final in seven years. "It was an awesome match for both teams and the NAIA. All credit to these players. They work hard every day, we had a short turnaround from last season, and they set out a goal to be champions again. It was a long year, but they kept it together and got it done. Mission accomplished."
 
Missouri Baptist's offensive dominance in Set One was on display for a fifth time in a row this week. The Spartans pulled away from a back-and-forth battle and closed out the set with a 25-18 win behind 17 kills, a .467 hitting %, and three blocks.
 
The Pirates reciprocated with 25-20 victory in Set Two to begin the chess match between the two veteran coaches. Missouri Baptist out-hit Park .300-.079 to run away with the third set, 25-15. As fate would have it, Park turned the tide yet again jumping out to a 9-2 lead and handily defeating the Spartans in a 25-14 decision.
 
The Pirates had MBU's number to begin the tiebreaker set and got a 5-0 headstart. In a complete 180, the gritty Spartans got back to the basics, served and passed well, and forced the first Pirate timeout at 6-5. Out of the break, a costly rotation error evened the set at 6-6. The next rally, Park scored on a block, which happened to be their second-to-last point scored. MBU's momentum was uncontainable, especially with no timeouts left for the Pirates. The Spartans used 5-0 and 4-0 runs to take the fifth set, 15-8.
 
Leading the way for MBU was two-time All-Tournament Team selection Giovanna Tapigliani. The Spartans' star opposite hitter came on strong late and finished with 15 kills, a season-high five blocks and two aces. MBU's middle blocking duo of Raylyn Dodd and Sara Klunder were the most efficient option on Saturday combining for 19 kills and a .350 hitting %, while also leading the way in blocking with seven (1 S, 6 A) and six (1 S, 5 A), respectively. Outsides Emma Lattimore and Isidora Stojovic were slowed down by the Pirates, but still contributed 17 kills.
 
Back-to-back NAIA National Championship MVP Manuela Vargas totaled 48 assists, six digs, two blocks and an ace on the evening. Steady-handed Ariana Macies led all players with a match-best 27 digs and tied for the team lead in service aces (2).