PARKVILLE, MO. – The Spartans were swept on the road by eighth-ranked Park University on Tuesday, pushing them to the fourth seed in the Heart of America Athletic Conference tournament. Missouri Baptist will open the first round at home against (13) Mount Mercy on Saturday.
 
The Pirates jumped on the Spartans in the first set, taking an early 19-12 lead. A couple of kills from Miljan Kastratovic sent the visitors to five straight points to pull within two.
 
MBU continued to battle until they stalled at 20 points allowing Park to take a 1-0 set lead.
 
The home team jumped out to a 15-11 lead with a 6-1 scoring run early in set two. The Spartans quickly rebounded with a scoring run of their own, taking seven of the next nine points behind kills from Daniel Borsi, Drew Iliff, and Kastratovic.
 
Down 21-19, the Pirates rallied for four straight and finished off set two with a pair of kills. With all the momentum and the limited crowd backing Park, Missouri Baptist fell in set three 25-20 to push them out of the third seed in the conference tournament.
 
Kastratovic and Borsi led the team with eight kills each with Iliff on their heels at six. Stephen Menzel solidified the defense with 10 digs while Jason Harman collected five digs of his own to go along with 23 assists.
 
The first round of the Heart of America Athletic Conference tournament begins on Saturday against the fifth seed and 13th-ranked Mount Mercy Mustangs. The first serve is currently scheduled for 2 p.m.