ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist University claimed the fifth American Midwest Conference Postseason Championship in program history with a four-set win over Columbia College on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans lost set one before rebounding with 25-22 wins in each of the next three sets. 

AMC Championship Recap

MBU struggled in the opening set, hitting .054 with nine errors on 37 attacks. They held a 16-10 lead before Columbia stormed back with eight points on the next 10 plays. Gabi Jakubowska gave MBU a 19-18 lead with a kill off an assist from Julia Pereira, but CC went on a 7-1 run to end the first set. 
 

Trailing 6-3 in the second frame, Jakubowska stepped up again, putting the ball in her own hand at the service line with a kill before rattling off aces on five of the next eight plays to open a 12-6 Spartan advantage. She would end up with eight kills in the second set to lead a 25-22 win to tie the game.  
 

The Cougars jumped out ahead once again in the third set getting kills from Katerina Pappa, Sude Gundogan, and Agatha Emanuelle. Behind 9-5, Fernanda Perini took a feed from Maiana Coelho and sent the Spartans on a 4-0 run to tie the game behind a pair of Tiia Heikkinen service aces and a kill from Elina Arsov.

Pappa spurred Columbia on to a 15-11 advantage when freshman Madison Moore came off the bench and made an immediate impact with a kill that helped steal some of the momentum. Pereira tied the game at 18 with an ace and later Kassie Lee tied the game at 21 with a kill.  Lee registered another at 22-22, Moore followed up with one, and Jakubowska ended the set 25-22 and put the Spartans up 2-1 with a third consecutive kill. 

The fourth set started the way the third ended, with a Jakubowska attack, and MBU jumped ahead 7-1. Columbia spent the remainder of the set trying to overcome the early deficit, pulling within two at 11-9. Riley Kortkamp started another run where the Spartans took eight of the next 10 points, but the Cougars again rebounded to pull within one at 23-22. 

Coelho found Jakbowska for the 30th time in the match before Moore and Kirsten van der Vleuten clinched the championship for MBU by blocking an Allana Capella attack to complete the set 25-22 and the game 3-1. 

Coelho ended the match with 48 service aces, four off from her season-high, while Pereira supplied the defense with 13 digs. Additionally, Perini, van der Vleuten, and Lee all ended the match with 3.0 total blocks.

Spartan Stat Leaders

Kills: Gabi Jakubowska (30)

Assists: Maiana Coelho (48)

Hitting %: Gabi Jakubowska (.323)

Aces: Gabi Jakubowska (5)

Digs: Julia Pereira (13)

Blocks: Perini, van der Vleuten, & Lee (3.0)

Records

(RV) Missouri Baptist: 25-11, 11-0 AMC

(RV Columbia: 23-12, 10-1 AMC

Next Game

The Spartans await their fate in the NAIA Selection Show on Monday, Nov. 18, at noon to find out their next match for the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round. The NAIA Opening Round will be held on Saturday, Nov. 23.