ST. LOUIS – No. 11 Missouri Baptist University men's volleyball earned a sweep over St. Ambrose University in the season opener on Friday night. The Spartans kicked off the season and the Heart of America Challenge with a three-set win powered by 15 kills, two aces, and a .579 hitting percentage from
Michael Olson.
Recap
MBU fell behind early in set one 4-2 before
Kyle Radecki notched two of his 13 kills to tie the match. Later trailing 8-6,
Tom Young's squad rattled off seven of the next nine and did not surrender the lead to wrap up a 25-20 set one win. Olson had five kills on nine attacks in the frame, Rudic had 11 assists, and Radecki notched four points.
Missouri Baptist's attack percentage went up in the second set as they continued to find a groove in the new season, sending down 14 kills on 20 attacks with three errors for a .550 hitting percentage. Olson and Radecki each had five kills while
Veljko Culibrk doubled his block total to four as the Spartans took a 2-0 advantage with a 25-18 victory.
Set three was undoubtedly the best for MBU. They again upped their attack percentage to an astronomical .789 with 15 kills on 19 attacks and no errors. The Spartans scored 17 of the first 22 points and ended the sweep over SAU with a 25-10 set three win.
Spartan Stat Leaders
Kills:
Michael Olson (13)
Assists:
David Rudic (31)
Hitting %:
Michael Olson (.579)
Aces:
Michael Olson (2)
Digs:
Alex Seyer (8)
Blocks:
Veljko Culibrk (5.0)
Records
No. 11 Missouri Baptist: 1-0
St. Ambrose: 3-4
Next Game
The HOA Challenge continues at the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy on Saturday, Feb. 1. The Spartans open the day at noon against Governors State University and wrap up the tournament at 4 p.m., against Brescia University.
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