ST. LOUIS – While Missouri Baptist University Men's Volleyball registered big-time conference wins at home last year, it hasn't come to fruition yet in 2023. With a pair of ranked HEART opponents in town on Friday and Saturday, the Spartans were on the losing end against No. 12 Grand View and No. 9 William Penn. The Vikings defeated MBU Friday evening in four sets, 25-18, 20-25, 25-23, 25-20, while the Statesmen picked up their first-ever win in St. Louis with a 25-17, 25-20, 25-21 sweep.
 
MBU will look to rebound with three more matches at home this week including upstart program Kansas Wesleyan University (2/28), University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy (3/1), and St. Ambrose University (3/4).
 
No. 12 Grand View University def. No. 14 Missouri Baptist University, 3-1 [25-18, 20-25, 25-23, 25-20]
Since MBU's NAIA National Invitational titles in 2015 and 2016, Grand View has had the Spartans' number winning 11 of the last 13 meetings between the two men's volleyball powers. The Vikings upped their current winning streak against Missouri Baptist to three with the 3-1 victory on Friday.
 
MBU's attack just couldn't find its footing on Friday night reaching 10 kills in a set just once. Despite a gradual improvement from Set One's .000 hitting percentage, the Spartans were held below .200% for a third straight match against the Vikings.
 
The Spartans' offensive struggles in the opening set were masked by multiple GVU errors by a trifecta of blocks as well as three service aces to keep the game close. Tied at 17-17, Grand View rattled off six kills and secured eight of the last nine points to take Set One, 25-18.
 
MoBap jumped out to an early lead in Set Two and never trailed. With Grand View surging and tying the set at 11-all, the Spartans broke away thanks to a 7-0 run with Michael Olson at the service line. Senior outside hitter Auston Bonte pitched in four kills in the frame, while freshman opposite Veljko Culibrk was in on all three of MBU's blocks in the set. The Spartans kept their distance and tied the match with a 25-20 set win.
 
Despite a very early 3-1 lead, the Spartans played from behind for much of Set Three. The Spartans had a hard time slowing down Grand View's leading scorer Bayron Valdez, who had eight kills in the third and finished with a match-high 21. Bonte added to his kill total with five in the frame, however, the Spartans' push at the end of the set was too little, too late. Squashing three of Grand View's set point opportunities, MBU was unable to force extra points, falling to the Vikings, 25-23.
 
Another brief lead in the fourth was short-lived as GVU went on a damaging 7-0 run to create enough separation from the Spartans. MBU was unable to cut into the lead, falling to the Vikings, 25-20.
 
Stat leaders against the Vikings included Auston Bonte with 16 kills on .361 hitting and team-high three aces, Josh Kaemmerer with 28 assists, Noah Varga with eight digs, and Kyle Merzweiler with six blocks.
 
No. 9 William Penn University def. No. 14 Missouri Baptist University, 3-0 [25-17, 25-20, 25-21]
In addition to getting their first-ever win on the road at MoBap, the Statesmen did what just one other program has done inside of the Petty Sports & Recreation Complex – earn the sweep. Grand View is the only other school to leave with a straight-set victory, coming in 2015 and, most recently, 2021.
 
It was slim pickens offensively for MBU in Set One. Of the team's eight kills, outside hitters Auston Bonte and Miljan Kastratovic made up 75% with three kills apiece. William Penn's Landon Krause, who was the 2022 AVCA-NAIA National Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, torched the Spartans for seven kills in the opening set and helped WPU to a quick 25-17 win.
 
Although MBU finally improved slightly in Set Two from eight kills to 10 kills and from .148 to .154%, William Penn upped the ante even more so swinging .423% with 15 kills including another seven from Krause.
 
Auston Bonte provided a short spark to begin Set Three with a kill and back-to-back service aces to put the Spartans up 4-1. However, the errors began to add up and once MBU fell behind, it never recovered. The Spartans hit a match-low .087% compared to a match-best .500% for the Statesmen.
 
The Spartans' stat leaders on Saturday included Auston Bonte with 11 kills and two service aces, Milos Markovic with a pair of aces as well, Francesco Michelini with 10 assists, Noah Varga with six digs in just two sets, and Michael Anderson with four blocks (1 S, 3 A).