ATCHISON, Kan. – Freshman setter
Valentina Navarro guided No. 21 Missouri Baptist University volleyball to a four-set victory at Benedictine College on Friday night with 46 assists, extending the Spartans' winning streak to seven.
The 22-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-22, win improved MBU's overall record to 22-5 and 13-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
Allana Capella,
Fernanda Perini, and
Gabi Jakubowska led the attack for the Spartans, combining for 42 total kills. Perini hit .409, including 11 kills on 22 attempts and five block assists. Capella had 11 kills and a game-high three aces, while Jakubowska contributed 12 kills and three block assists.
Kassie Lee also played a key role with a .400 percentage, eight kills, and four block assists.
Defensively,
Claire Ochs' squad posted 61 digs, with 15 coming from Navarro, 13 each coming from
Julia Reis Pereira and Capella, and eight coming from
Summer McDonough.
The Spartans fell in set one after hitting negative with nine kills and 11 errors on 38 team attacks. The Ravens were down 22-21 near the end of the set but rode kills from Barbara Terra and Rayleen Gladden to a 4-0 run to end the set.
Perini had MBU ahead 4-0 to begin set two with a pair of kills and a block. She and Jakubowska went on to combine for 10 kills in the second frame to lead the 25-18 win to tie the match at 1-1.
After tallying 16 assists in set two, Navarro added 13 more in set three to propel her club out in front 2-0. Pereira had a long service run through the middle of the set to extend the lead to 19-14 before a kill by Lee, and three consecutive attack errors ended a 25-18 win.
In the fourth set, Capella followed up after six kills in the third set with six in the fourth to lead MBU to victory in a back-and-forth affair. The two teams were deadlocked at 20 when Capella received a feed from Navarro for the lead. Jakubowska followed up a few points later, and Lee ended it with a kill at 25-22.
The Spartans wrap up their Kansas trip on Saturday, Oct. 25, with a 1 p.m., start at Baker University.
