CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – Missouri Baptist men's volleyball started their Iowa trip with a 3-1 victory over the 14th ranked Mustangs on Thursday night. The Spartans collected 12 service aces and 63 kills in a win that improved their record to 10-2 overall and 8-2 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
 
The first set got off to a rocky start for the visitors as Mount Mercy went on an 8-1 run to give them an early 11-5 lead.
 
The Spartans would not go quietly, however. They battled back behind a hot offense to force a 20-20 tie. An ace off of a Daniel Borsi gave his team the lead.
 
The home team responded with a kill from Evan Gaskill followed by an MBU attack error. Miljan Kastratovic continued to drive the offense and came up clutch for his team when it mattered most. The senior posted two consecutive kills to give the Spartans a 25-24 lead and finished it off with a service ace.
 
Set number two was also a barnburner. MBU found themselves down 16-12 before Jason Harman sent down a kill to spark a 6-1 run that gave them an 18-17 advantage. Mount Mercy tied it on a Spartan attack error.
 
Auston Bonte scored off Harman's 24th assist of the match and the Spartans never looked back taking set two 25-22 in the end.
 
The Mustangs prevailed 35-33 in an extended third set to keep them in the game. Neither side gave an inch defensively as the Spartans collected 26 digs and three blocks while Mount Mercy had 23 digs with two blocks. Ultimately, six service errors kept the Spartans from earning a clean sweep.
 
The Spartan offense steam-rolled the Mustangs in the fourth set on their way to a 25-20 victory, hitting .394 with 14 combined kills. The set four wins gave MBU a 3-1 victory over Mount Mercy and their fifth consecutive win.
 
Jason Harman had an outstanding game, collecting 56 assists, three aces, four block assists, and 10 digs. "JL did a great job for us tonight," said Head Coach Tom Young. "He was really able to create a lot of 1-on-1s for our attackers, played good defense, and had a few aces. Definitely a good night for JL."

Miljan Kastratovic carried the offense with 25 kills and paired it with 12 digs. Other notable stats include Daniel Borsi's 12 kills, Stephen Menzel's 19 blocks, and Gabe Norsigian's .429 hitting percentage.
 
The Iowa trip continues tomorrow in another conference matchup against (1) Grand View. The opening serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.