ST. LOUIS – No. 17 Missouri Baptist University women's volleyball clinched a share of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship, defeating Park University in five sets (23-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-9, 15-7) on Senior Night inside the Petty SRC. The win improved the Spartans to 26-5 overall and 17-1 in the conference.
Gabi Jakubowska notched a career-high 33 kills on .446 hitting to go along with 18 digs and a service ace.
Allana Capella added 18 kills on .366 hitting with four aces and nine digs, while
Fernanda Perini posted five kills and three blocks.
Valentina Navarro guided the offense with 49 assists, nine digs, and two aces, and libero
Julia Reis Pereira anchored the defense with a match-high 22 digs.
As a team, Missouri Baptist hit .324 with 13 service aces and five total blocks while holding Park to a .186 hitting percentage.
The match featured long rallies and sharp offensive play on both sides. Park took the opening set 25-23 after closing out with a kill from Agnelina Rodriguez, who had 14 total in the contest, and a block from Silvia Albani and Elisa Dalla Pozza.
Missouri Baptist bounced back in the second, hitting .361 as Jakubowska sent down 11 kills. Navarro added an ace and 12 assists and found Jakubowska on the final two plays to close out the 25-20 frame.
The Pirates regained momentum in the third with a 25-19 win, taking advantage of a 4-0 run late to pull ahead 2-1 in the match. Missouri Baptist responded emphatically in the fourth, dominating from start to finish. Jakubowska delivered five kills to open the set as MBU jumped to an 8-0 lead. The Spartans hit .458 in the frame and never looked back, cruising to a 25-9 victory to force a decisive fifth.
In the final set, MBU's offense stayed hot. Capella opened with a kill, followed by a Navarro ace, and a Jakubowska kill. Park called an early timeout, but MBU continued to roll as Capella and Lee each contributed kills and
Mary Potteiger an ace during a 7-2 surge. Capella closed the match with her 18th kill to secure the 15-7 win, the Spartans' 11th straight victory, and a share of the conference regular season title.
The second-seeded Spartans will host seventh-seeded William Woods University in the Heart Quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 8, to begin the conference tournament.
