The Missouri Baptist University men's volleyball team concluded a busy four-match week with a split in Iowa. MBU started on the right note blanking Clarke University for its fifth sweep in the last six matches before dropping a heartbreaker in five to No. 12-ranked Mount Mercy University on Saturday.
 
The loss in Cedar Rapids snapped MBU's six-game winning streak. It moved the squad to 15-7 overall and 9-6 in the conference, with the final week stretch of league play concluding next Saturday against No. 3-ranked and undefeated Park University (Mo.). The Spartans have another busy week with four home matches in five days, beginning with (RV) Missouri Valley College on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
 
(15) Missouri Baptist University def. Clarke University, 3-0 [25-21, 25-12, 25-19]
The night started with both teams splitting the first 10 points of the set before the Spartans took the lead on a Clarke attack error. The CU miscue helped spark a six-point run with Milos Markovic at the service line, and MoBap never looked back as it led the rest of the set. Graduate student Miljan Kastratovic led the charge with five kills (.444%). Freshman Veljko Culibrk would help set the tone on defense as he recorded two blocks.
 
MBU put together its most well-rounded set in Set Two. Offensively, the Spartans hit .276%, with Kastratovic and senior Auston Bonte combining for 10 of the team's 11 kills. Defensively, they held Clarke to a .000% attack percentage and didn't allow them to score back-to-back points the entire set.
 
With a chance for consecutive sweeps, the Spartans struck first and never surrendered the lead. Culibrk went on a five-point run to put his team up by six. However, CU would not go quietly into the night as the Pride were able to bring it within four at 18-14. Kastratovic would put the match to rest with his second service ace of the night. Defensively, the Spartans held Clarke to a match-worst hitting clip of -.261%.
 
The Spartans were busy at the net, totaling ten blocks as a team led by Culibrk with seven block assists, Michael Anderson with six, and Kyle Merzweiler with four.
 
(12) Mount Mercy def. (15) Missouri Baptist University, 3-2 [16-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22, 15-12]
The Spartans wasted no time as they took the first point of the set and never surrendered the lead. Their defense led the way holding Mount Mercy to a hitting clip of -.207%. The Spartans recorded three blocks, with middle blocker Kyle Merzweiler taking part in two of them and closing the set with a huge solo block.
 
Unlike the first set, the second frame was a back-and-forth affair that featured several lead changes. Kastratovic and Bonte led MoBap's offense with ten kills and would pull their team within one before the Mustangs closed out the set, 25-23.
 
After two lackluster offensive sets by both teams, the offenses came to life in the third frame. Missouri Baptist ended the set with a hitting clip of .333%, and Mount Mercy finished with a .286% hitting percentage. MBU spent the majority of the set in control, but the Mustangs would not go down without a fight as they survived four set points and forced extras before another big block by Merzweiler, assisted by Bonte, put the third set to rest. Culibrk found his groove as he connected on 11 of his 15 swings (.666%).
 
MBU got a quick start in the fourth set before surrendering the lead at 10-9. Mount Mercy stayed ahead the rest of the way. The Spartans battled to the end and pulled within two before the Mustangs forced a fifth set.
 
MMU road the momentum they had built from the fourth set as they jumped out to an early lead. Culibrk would try to propel his team to victory as he pulled his team within one before a couple of attack errors pushed the Mustangs to victory.
 
Despite a career performance from Culibrk against the Mustangs – 25 kills, 7 digs, 2 blocks – and leading in nearly every single statistical category – 61 to 49 in kills, 9 to 2 in aces, 11 to 10 in blocks and 66 to 64 in digs, MBU came up just short of a big win on the road. Joining Culibrk in double-figure kills were Kastratovic (17) and Bonte (14). Other stat leaders on Saturday included Bonte with six aces, Merzweiler and Anderson with five blocks apiece, David Rudic with 48 assists, and Marko Jovanovic with 21 digs.