ST. LOUIS – No. 14 Missouri Baptist Men's Volleyball wrapped up a six-match homestand on Saturday with its biggest win of the season sweeping fourth-ranked Park University (Mo.), 25-14, 25-20, 25-20. Combined with Tuesday's win over No. 11 Missouri Valley, the Spartans ended the picture-perfect week with a 4-0 record and two wins over Top-15 opponents.
In recent meetings between the rival volleyball schools, it has been apparent that Missouri Baptist has ruled the roost when playing in the confines of Lacey Gymnasium. The Spartans are now winners in 11 of the past 12 matches at home versus the Pirates.
A few other streaks were extended for the Spartans including the 13
th win in a row at home dating back to March 11, 2021, and the eighth straight win following a pair of setbacks in Iowa on Jan. 28 and 29. Missouri Baptist is now 12-2 overall and 7-2 in the Heart of America, while handing Park (10-3, 4-3 HEART) its third loss in conference.
Offensively, the two teams were very comparable in total kills with Missouri Baptist holding the slight 32-29 edge. Where the Spartans made up the most ground on Park was efficiency and blocking. MoBap limited its attack errors to eight for an impressive .400 hitting clip on the afternoon, while Park couldn't get out of its own way. The visitors from Parkville, Mo. hit just .091 and finished the match with 22 attack errors, 15 service errors and five reception errors.
Stephen Bilkey put together a terrific performance with a match-high 10 kills and zero errors for a .714 hitting percentage. The junior opposite hitter was also active at the net recording four block assists. Senior
Miljan Kastratovic, a seasoned veteran in Park-MoBap rivalry matches, finished with eight kills, and match-highs in digs (8) and service aces (2).
When called upon, MBU's dynamic middle blockers
Gabe Norsigian and
Kyle Merzweiler were virtually unstoppable combining for eight kills, a .636 attack percentage, and nine block assists. Norsigian led all players with five blocks.
After a large stretch of matches at home, the Spartans will now embark on a six-match roadswing beginning Tuesday. No. 14 MBU will travel on Tuesday for a non-conference tilt at Lincoln College followed by a weekend trip to Iowa for rematches with Clarke and Mount Mercy.
