ST. LOUIS – It's been a long, drawn-out volleyball season due to COVID-19, but the regular season finally came to an end Thursday and in storybook fashion. The No. 5-ranked Missouri Baptist women's volleyball team locked up the American Midwest Conference (AMC) regular-season title by sweeping Stephens College, 25-21, 25-15, 25-20.
 
With the straight-set victory at home over the Stars, head coach Chris Nichols' 2020-21 squad became just the second team in program history to win an AMC regular-season championship. The only other Spartan team to do so was the 2015 squad that advanced to the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship title game. Between the fall and spring, the Spartans defeated all nine AMC opponents without dropping a single set, a feat that no other AMC school had done since Columbia back in 2004.
 
The emotions were running high on Thursday as it also served as Senior Night for four Spartans – Isidora Stojovic, Katie Duncan, Sam Kurm, and Lindsey Major. Between Stojovic, Duncan, and Kurm, the three seniors accounted for more than half of the kills in the match, combining for 19 of the Spartans' 37 kills.). Duncan and Kurm also held it down defensively, recording career highs with 12 and 11, respectively. Major tied for a team-high in service aces (2) and notched a season-best six digs in the match.
 
"Our seniors were great," said Nichols in his postgame interview. "Heading into the match, I knew that all of our seniors could swing, but I was more worried about ball control with an all-senior lineup. We had no issues, though. I thought we did a really nice job there."
 
Securing the top overall seed for next week's AMC Volleyball Championship, Missouri Baptist will now await the outcome of the first-round matchup on Monday (April 5) between the No. 8- and No. 9-seed. Tuesday's quarterfinal match will be held at the Carl and Deloris Petty Sports & Recreation Complex with a likely 7 p.m. start time.
 
Earlier in the day, MBU hosted Harris-Stowe State in a non-conference matchup as both teams gear up for the postseason. Still riding momentum from Tuesday's sweep over William Woods, the Spartans coasted to a 25-10, 25-12, 25-2 sweep.
 
Offensively, MoBap played the ball exceptionally well, hitting above .600 in both the first and third sets. Collectively, the Spartans accumulated 47 kills on 71 swings (.563) to improve upon their season-best hitting percentage from Tuesday. Ranked No. 1 in the NAIA in hitting percentage, the Spartans are now hitting .321 on the year.
 
Eight different players recorded at least two kills against the Hornets, with Sara Klunder and Giovanna Tapigliani both eclipsing the 10-kill mark. For the second match in a row, Sara Klunder surpassed her previous high, finishing the Harris-Stowe match with 13 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. The freshman from Hudson, Iowa, also notched two service aces. Tapigliani reached 10+ kills for the sixth time this season with 11 and hit a career-best .786.
 
On the day, setter Manuela Vargas recorded 70 assists (11.66 a/s), six kills, three service aces, and three blocks. Other leaders in the Harris-Stowe State match included freshman Maria Hanusik with a career-high four service aces and Tapigliani, Hanusik, and Tessa Schneider, tying for the team lead in digs with seven.