BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – No. 21 Missouri Baptist University defeated Baker University on the road in five sets to extend its winning streak to eight. The Spartans took a 25-20, 25-11, 17-25, 24-26, 15-9 victory to improve to 23-5 overall and 14-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
Valentina Navarro guided the offense on Saturday afternoon with 47 assists and posted a team-high five aces.
Gabi Jakubowska also added toward the team total of 14 aces with three and added 18 kills. Defensively,
Julia Reis Pereira dug out 25 attacks with
Fernanda Perini and
Kassie Lee slamming the door with six blocks at the net.
MBU used a 5-0 run started by Lee to a 23-14 advantage, and ended the set on back-to-back kills from
Allana Capella, who had 12 in the match. In set two, the Spartans rode a 10-0 run to begin the set to a 25-11 win.
The Wildcats were down but not out, down 0-2. They dominated set three 25-17 and forced a fifth set with a 26-24 win in set four.
Ahead 10-8 in the winner-take-all, Navarro picked up a kill, and Jakubowska followed up with two more. At 14-9, Baker sent over an attack, which was shut down on a block by Perini and
Elina Arsov to take the win.
The Spartans' road trip continues on Tuesday, Oct. 28, against William Woods University. The opening serve in Fulton, Mo., is set for 6 p.m.
