COLUMBIA, Mo. – The third time was the charm for No. 12-ranked Missouri Baptist Women's Volleyball. Dropping their two previous matches to No. 16 Columbia this year, the Spartans avenged the earlier losses when the stakes were the highest: in the AMC Volleyball Championship Final. MBU defeated the Cougars 3-1 [25-21, 25-20, 24-26, 25-22] on their home court Saturday afternoon to secure a third consecutive tournament title and No. 5 all-time.
 
It marks just the seventh time in 25 seasons that a lower seed has been crowned tournament champs, with three of the Spartans' titles coming as the No. 2 seed. Other years that MBU won the AMC Volleyball Tournament include 2005, 2011, 2020-21, and 2021.
 
With Saturday's victory, Missouri Baptist moved one game closer to another 30-win season, improving to 29-3. On the other side of the net, the Spartans ended Columbia's 10-match winning streak sending the Cougars to 26-10.
 
The ebb and flow of Set One was undeniable. Every time one squad manufactured a string of points, the other answered. Set One provided 13 ties and seven lead changes, the last of which were the most important.
 
Down 21-19, the Spartans flipped the momentum in their favor and served up six straight points to take Set One, 25-21. No. 1 seed Columbia faded late as the Spartans were aided by four CC errors sandwiched between a Carlee Wise kill and block to end the set.
 
Set Two had just as much back-and-forth action. The second frame had one more tie and one lead change. Similarly, MBU trailed late at 21-20 and again closed out strong. Following a Sara Klunder block, the Spartans scored on back-to-back digs that resulted in kills from Maria Hanusik and Shannon McLain. Finally, the Spartans were in the driver's seat with a two sets to none lead.
 
Taking the wind out of Columbia's sails, MoBap jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead and held the edge for a large part of the set. That is until the Cougars quietly inched their way back into the game and tied it at 19-19 for the first tie of the third set. The two teams traded points for the next ten rallies with five more ties. Columbia withstood MBU's match point at 24-23 and scored the next three to force a fourth set.
 
Set Four was just as dramatic. With a 20-18 lead, MBU saw that small margin dissipate and fall behind 21-20. Another Spartan surge delivered match point and a Columbia timeout at 24-22 via a Liz van Houwelingen kill, McLain service ace, and Gabi Jakubowska kill. So it was only fitting that All-AMC First Team opposite hitter Jakubowska finished it with her career-best 16^th kill of the match.
 
MBU's other pins – Emma Lattimore and Liz van Houwelingen – joined Jakubowska in double digits with ten kills apiece. In addition, middle blockers Carlee Wise and Sara Klunder had nearly identical stat lines with seven kills apiece and a combined seven blocks.
 
Junior setter and All-AMC First Teamer Shannon McLain directed the Spartan attack, who finished with a double-double of 38 assists and 11 digs, and three kills. Lattimore also registered her seventh double-double of the season with 10 kills and 11 digs.
 
Another Spartan posting a career-high in the championship final was libero Rachel Kinney, who recorded 25 digs, four more than her previous best. The grad transfer from Canisius College also added four assists to her ledger. Assisting Kinney in the back row was Maria Hanusik, who chipped in nine digs and again made her mark at the service line with match-high four service aces.
 
Earning the American Midwest Conference's second automatic bid for the 2022 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, Missouri Baptist now awaits its opponent for the National Championship Opening Round held on campus sites. The NAIA selection show for women's volleyball will premiere on the NAIA YouTube Channel at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 14.