ST. LOUIS – For the first time since being crowned NAIA national champions, the Missouri Baptist women's volleyball team played in front of a home crowd in the Petty Sports & Recreation Complex. The top-ranked Spartans didn't disappoint in their home opener Wednesday evening, handily defeating Lincoln Christian University in straight sets 25-7, 25-7, 25-11.
 
Missouri Baptist's supremacy on Wednesday stretched from start to finish, with all but one player seeing action against the Red Lions. The Spartans hit a season-best .532 with 47 kills and just five attack errors compared to Lincoln Christian, who barely finished in the positives at 15 kills, 14 errors, and a .013 hitting percentage.
 
From a defensive perspective, the Spartans were flawless in serve receive yielding zero service aces to the visitors. They also won the battle at the net, owning a 6-1 advantage in total blocks.
 
SET ONE
The Spartans set the tone early, winning nine of the first ten rallies. Freshman DS/S Natalie Edson had a nice run at the service line, including a pair of service aces, while MBU's front row players put down any ball that came to them. Senior middle blocker Raylyn Dodd led the way with five kills and two blocks in the 25-7 set win.
 
SET TWO
MoBap overpowered the Red Lions in the following frame with 7-0 and 10-0 runs. The Spartans sported a 14-3 advantage in kills and hit a match-best .619. The defending national champs harassed LCU from the service line with four aces in the set. Giovanna Tapigliani contributed three of the four aces in the early 7-0 run.
 
SET THREE
MBU's non-starters didn't skip a beat and closed out the match with authority. Five-time AMC Setter of the Week Shannon McLain found her go-to targets in Liz van Houwelingen and Carlee Wise, who combined for 11 kills. Wise was virtually unstoppable as she hammered home six kills in seven swings and had a block assist to boot. Defensively, Nathiellen Machado had an impressive showing with seven digs in the set.
 
The top-six hitters for Missouri Baptist all finished above .500 for the match led by Tapigliani and Dodd with eight kills apiece, Isidora Stojovic and Wise with six apiece, and Emma Lattimore and van Houwelingen with five apiece. The group had just one error on the night and combined to hit .649 (37 K, 1 E, 57 TA). Other stat leaders on the evening included Manuela Vargas (27 assists) and Ariana Macies (8 digs).
 
The victory puts the Spartans at 6-2 this season, heading into a big weekend at the SRC. The team is set to host the MBU Spartan Invitational, which features No. 1-ranked MBU, two programs currently ranked in the Top-20 – No. 11 Central Methodist and No. 20 Lindsey Wilson –and Xavier (La.), a program that has qualified for the NAIA National Championship 10 years in a row. MBU opens the four-team tournament on Friday against 20^th-ranked Lindsey Wilson College at 12:30 p.m.