OTTAWA, Kan. – The seventh-ranked Missouri Baptist University women's volleyball team outlasted No. 14 Ottawa University (Kan.) Thursday evening, securing a five-set victory on the road. Following a 10-day break from competition, the Spartans got things rolling again, defeating the Braves 25-21, 20-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-7.
MBU improved to 9-2 on the year and notched its second Top 25 win in a three-match span. On the other hand, Ottawa has dropped three of its last five contests after starting the year 4-1 with a pair of wins over Top 25 opponents.
Missouri Baptist knew it would face a tough test Thursday heading into Wilson Field House, where the Braves had sported a 30-3 record at home since 2020. MBU's only prior visit to Ottawa, Kan. – during the 2020-21 season – resulted in a straight-set loss for the Spartans – 31-29, 25-16, 25-18.
Defense was the name of the game in Set One, and MBU held the upper hand. Using a clutch 9-1 run early in the set, the Spartans took the lead for good and thwarted all of Ottawa's rally attempts. Missouri Baptist held the home team to a .028 attack % on their way to a 25-21 set win.
The Spartans seized a 17-14 lead in Set Two and had enough momentum to force OU head coach Melissa Blessington to call a timeout. The TO did the trick, leading to a critical 6-0 run for the Braves. OU scored 11 of the last 14 points to win 25-20 and even the match at one set apiece.
After eight attack attempts and only one kill through two sets, two-time NAIA All-American
Sara Klunder rewrote her storyline in the third set. She went from an uncharacteristically slow start back to powerhouse status. The senior middle blocker delivered seven of the Spartans' 15 kills in Set Three en route to a 25-19 'W.'
The fourth stanza was full of twists and turns. Missouri Baptist was slow out of the gate but used a 7-2 run to even the set at 10-all. Ottawa used a similarly sized stretch late in the frame to push the Braves over the top. After the Spartans had taken a 19-18 lead, the Braves retaliated with a 6-2 run. Ottawa's Katelyn Elstun registered the match-tying kill on set point No. 3 and edged MBU 25-23.
Ottawa had Wilson Field House on its feet in Set Five with a brief lead at 4-2. The Braves' excitement was short-lived, and MBU erased any hope of a comeback with a massive 10-1 run. Three kills apiece from Klunder and sophomore
Gabi Jakubowska aided the giant swing and two service aces for
Natalie Edson. Klunder helped finish off the Braves, recording two more kills and a block assist in the final three rallies.
The Hudson, Iowa middle blocker led the team in kills with a season-high 19, a team-best .444 hitting %, and a career-high eight blocks. Joining Klunder in double-digit kills were
Gabi Jakubowska and
Tayler Neal, with 17 apiece. Jakubowska has reached double figures in 10 Spartans' 11 matches.
Defensively, graduate transfer
Kaylee Hanger made her Spartan debut in style with a match-best 23 digs. Hanger, a native of Millstadt, Ill., comes to Missouri Baptist by way of North Dakota State University.
Other career highs achieved on Thursday included
Natalie Edson's five service aces and
Tayler Neal's 17 kills and 12 digs.
The Spartans' roadswing continues next Wednesday in Fayette, Mo., where they'll play a pair of Top 20 teams back-to-back in No. 18 Central Methodist and a non-conference tilt with No. 11 Columbia College.
