ST. LOUIS – Gabi Jakubowska hit .651 with 30 total kills to lead (RV) Missouri Baptist University to a pair of wins to open the Eutectic Classic on Friday. The Spartans made quick work of Friends University 3-0 in the afternoon match and wrapped up a sweep of St. Francis (Ill.) in the evening contest.
Friends Recap
MBU jumped all over Friends University early in set one. Gabi Jakubowska sandwiched a kill around a Julia Pereira service ace to put the team out in front and Kassie Lee ended the 8-0 run with a trio of consecutive kills.
The Falcons continued to battle back, scoring roughly two points to every one scored by the Spartans until the game was worked back to 23-19, forcing an MBU timeout. Lee registered another kill, but Friends tallied four consecutive points to tie the set at 24. However, Jakubowska took care of business after a service error and ended the set on a feed from Julia Pereira 26-24.
The Katowice, Poland native continued the hot play sending down a pair of kills to open set two.
Lauren Clawson served up an ace to make it 3-0 before the Spartans opened a 16-7 lead. Friends tried to spark late-set magic again, but a timeout and one of
Kassie Lee's 10 kills
put a stop to the run and secured frame two 25-18.
Missouri Baptist played their best volleyball of the match in set three, hitting .522 in a 25-10 trouncing. Jakubowska brought her total to 18 kills with seven in the final frame, Maiana Coelho added nine more assists to bring her total to 28, and Tiia Heikkinen fueled a late set run with three service aces in six plays.
Spartan Stat Leaders
Kills: Gabi Jakubowska (18)
Assists: Maiana Coelho (28)
Hitting %: Gabi Jakubowska (.708)
Aces: Tiia Heikkinen (4)
Digs: Julia Pereira (14)
Blocks: Gabi Jakubowska & Kirsten van der Vleuten (4.0)
St. Francis Recap
St. Francis did not stand a chance in set one of Friday's final contest, as the Spartans hit .739 with 18 kills on 23 attempts. Early in the set, Coelho spread the wealth with her passing, with four points coming from Jakubowska and two from Kirsten van der Vleuten, Madison Moore, and Elina Arsov to open a 10-4 advantage. At 19-13, MBU went on a 6-0 run to wrap up the win.
The dominance continued into set two, but the Fighting Saints pulled within four at 17-13. Lee and Moore went back-to-back on kills, followed a few plays later by two more consecutive kills from Lee to extend the lead to 23-16. Van der Vleuten ended things at 25-18 on a feed from Coelho.
St. Francis made the third set a fight, taking a 12-9 lead midway through and a 20-18 lead late, but the MBU attack led by Jakubowska and Lee paved the way for a three-set sweep at 25-23.
Three different Spartans had a hitting percentage north of .400 in the match, with Jakubowska at .579, Moore at .529, and Lee at .467. All three posted 10 or more kills and three or fewer attack errors.
Spartan Stat Leaders
Kills: Gabi Jakubowska (12)
Assists: Maiana Coelho (24)
Hitting %: Gabi Jakubowska (.579)
Aces: Luiza Arsufi (2)
Digs: Julia Pereira (11)
Blocks: Kassie Lee (8.0)
Coach's Corner:
"Gabi [Jakubowska] being that dominant is no surprise," said Head Volleyball Coach
Claire Ochs. "Her and Maiana [Coelho] continue to improve their connection which has been a main focus for us at practice. The team has been tested early in the season, so being able to use what we have learned and grow from having a tough schedule has been key."
Records
(RV) Missouri Baptist: 6-9
Friends: 7-5
St. Francis: 10-7
Next Game
The Eutectic Classic wraps up on Saturday, Sept. 14, with matches against Evangel University at 2:30 p.m., and Culver-Stockton College at 4:30 p.m.
