ST. LOUIS – No. 12-ranked Missouri Baptist University Men's Volleyball took care of business on Tuesday in its Heart of America Athletic Conference opener, defeating University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in straight sets. The Spartans went into UHSP Gymnasium and came out on the winning end with scores of 25-17, 25-11, 25-15.
 
Missouri Baptist head coach Tom Young got a long look at the future of the program with a host of underclassmen taking full advantage of extended playing time. Offensively, the sophomore class shined led by outside hitter Michael Olson with 11 kills and three service aces, all of which were match- and career-highs in two sets of action.
 
Adding to the sophomore showcase were Milos Markovic (7 kills, .700%, 2 blocks), Kyle Merzweiler (5 kills, .667%, 2 blocks), Sam Goedde (6 kills, 2 blocks) in his varsity debut, and Petar Lecic (1 kill, 3 blocks). In total, the second-year players accounted for 30 of the Spartans' 39 kills and combined to hit .545 on the night.
 
The freshmen group of David Rudic, Noah Varga and Michael Anderson also flourished against the Eutectics. Rudic posted 35 assists and two service aces, Varga led all players with 10 digs to go along with a pair of aces, and Anderson added two kills and two blocks.
 
As a team, the Spartans held Health Sciences & Pharmacy in the negatives for the match including clips of -.160 and -.042 in the first two sets. On the flip side, MoBap finished the evening hitting .380 and had its best Set in the second frame with 15 kills, 2 errors and a .565 attack percentage.
 
The Spartans will have a quick turnaround as they welcome Lincoln College to Lacey Gymnasium in less than 24 hours on Wednesday at 6 p.m.