ST. LOUIS – It was smooth sailing for the No. 15-ranked Missouri Baptist University men's volleyball team on Friday as the Spartans picked up a pair of straight-set victories over Central Christian College (Kan.) and HEART foe Graceland University. The Spartans were stout defensively, holding both opponents under .100% hitting in the 25-11, 25-15, 25-14 win over Central Christian and the 25-10, 25-20, 25-21 win over Graceland.
 
Now winners in nine of their last ten contests, the Spartans improved to 18-7, 11-6 HEART with their 11^th and 12^th sweeps of the year. However, MBU will have its toughest test yet on Saturday, welcoming undefeated and No. 3-ranked Park to the SRC. First serve is set for 1 p.m.
 
(15) Missouri Baptist University def. Central Christian College of Kansas, 3-0 [25-11, 25-15, 25-14]
The Spartans thoroughly overmatched the Tigers. MBU's depth and experience were on display early and often as the Spartans were near perfect in Set One. With 16 kills and just one error on 19 swings, MoBap hit a blazing .789% in the opening frame.
 
Missouri Baptist's efficiency didn't stop after Set One. The Spartans hit .500 or above in each set, including a .500% clip in Set Two and a .529% clip in Set Three. On the other side of the net, Central Christian struggled to produce in any set totaling just 11 kills on the afternoon. The Tigers were limited to three kills in each set and hit .000% in both.
 
All 16 active players on Friday contributed at least one point apiece, whether in the form of a kill, ace, or block.
 
Junior outside hitter Milos Markovic led all scorers with a match-high six kills and paced the Spartans in service aces (3) and digs (5). Right behind Markovic in kill production were freshman Johnathan Kreke and Miljan Kastratovic. The latter was one of six Spartans who hit a flawless 1.000%. That group included Kastratoivc, Zach Noles (4), Michael Olson (3), Kyle Merzweiler (2), Michael Anderson (12), and Josh Kaemmerer (1).
 
Kaemmerer played two of the three sets at setter, pitching in a match-best 24 assists.
 
(15) Missouri Baptist University def. Graceland University, 3-0 [25-10, 25-20, 25-21]
Despite coming away with a 'W' in Lamoni, Iowa, last month, the Spartans did not want a repeat of the five-set victory on Feb. 17.
 
No. 15 MBU set the tone early and carried over their solid offensive performance vs. Central Christian into the second match of the doubleheader. The Spartans had just one attack error in the opening set, outhitting the Yellowjackets .556% to -.105%. Miljan Kastratovic accounted for more than half of the Spartans' 11 kills, scoring on 6-of-7 of his attacks. If not for MoBap's four service errors in the set, the 25-10 outcome would have been even more lopsided.
 
Graceland played a cleaner game in Set Two, improving its hitting clip to .235%. In fact, the Yellowjackets had a higher attack percentage than the Spartans (.185%). Although GU stuck around in the second set, MBU surged late with a 5-2 run aided by three Auston Bonte kills, a Kastratovic kill, and a Marko Jovanovic service ace.
 
The Spartans found themselves behind midway through the third set. Trailing 14-10, MBU again leaned on the Bonte-Kastratovic duo to even the set at 16-all. After three more ties at 18, 19, and 20, MBU seized the lead for good following a pair of GU attack errors and clinched the match with a 25-21 set win.
 
Kastratovic led all players with 15 kills and supplied three service aces to the cause. Bonte, who led the team in aces (4), also reached double-digit kills with 12 and an efficient .524 hitting percentage. Fellow outside hitter Michael Olson registered six kills without an error for a .600 hitting clip. The Wildwood, Mo. junior also paced the Spartans with five digs.
 
Setter David Rudic finished the match with 29 assists and tied for the team lead with four blocks. Middle blocker Michael Anderson also recorded four blocks (1 S, 3 A). Meanwhile, libero Marko Jovanovic notched three digs, three aces, and three assists.