FULTON, Mo. – Despite another lengthy gap in competition, the No. 7-ranked Missouri Baptist University women's volleyball team didn't skip a beat in its American Midwest Conference opener Tuesday evening. The Spartans spoiled William Woods' "Black Out" theme night and the Owls' previously unbeaten record at home with a 25-15, 26-24, 25-13 sweep.
 
Missouri Baptist opened AMC play with a victory for the 13^th consecutive season. Tuesday also marked the Spartans' fifth straight sweep of William Woods. MBU improved to 10-2 overall and 1-0 in the AMC with the win. After beginning the season 13-1, the Owls have hit a bump in the road, dropping their last four contests.
 
The Spartans were downright dominant in the opening set, holding a 16-4 advantage in kills, a .323 to -.094 edge in hitting percentage, and a 6-0 margin in blocks. The trio of Sara Klunder, Tayler Neal, and Emma Lattimore combined for 14 of the 16 kills in Set One. Gabi Jakubowska and Kassie Lee were also active at the net but in different capacities. Jakubowska and Lee teamed up for three blocks in the match's first six points and a fourth block at 18-9. Jakubowska tallied five block assists in the 25-15 set win.
 
Hibernating in the first set, the Owls woke up in the following frame and challenged the Spartans. At one point, when MoBap began to pull away with a five-point lead, William Woods answered. There were seven lead changes and 13 ties in the second set. Statistically, the Spartans were at their best offensively, with 18 kills and a .382 attack %. Knotted at 24-all, MBU turned to pins Tayler Neal and Gabi Jakubowska for back-to-back kills to avoid a tied match.
 
The third and final frame resembled Set One with another lopsided stat sheet. The seventh-ranked Spartans established control right out of the gate, scoring the first four points of the set. Never trailing in the set, MBU increased the margin and methodically shut down the Owl attack. In addition to four service aces (Lattimore – 2, Hogan, Arsufi), MBU hit above .300 for the third set in a row while holding Woods to six kills and a .000 hitting percentage.
 
On the night, Missouri Baptist amassed 47 kills, a .352 hitting %, eight blocks, five aces, and 39 digs. The Spartans were on the verge of having four players with double-digit kills. Sophomore Tayler Neal paced the team with 13 kills, followed by Sara Klunder with 12 and Gabi Jakubowska with 11. Klunder was near-perfect swinging on Tuesday with 12 kills on 15 attempts for a red-hot .733 attack %. Seeing her first action since the Florida trip on Aug. 19, Emma Lattimore returned to form with eight kills on .500 hitting, six digs, and a team-best two aces.
 
Junior setter Maiana Coelho dished out 38 assists for an average of 12.67 per set, while grad transfer Kaylee Hanger continues to carve out her role as the starting libero with a match-best 11 digs and five assists.
 
MBU continues the month-long journey away from the Petty SRC with another AMC match on Thursday at nearby University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy (1-16, 1-0 AMC) at 6 p.m. The road swing will end on Saturday in Lawrence, Kan., when the Spartans visit Haskell Indian Nations University.