ST. LOUIS – No. 15 Missouri Baptist University women's volleyball is set to host the Heart of America Athletic Conference Women's Volleyball Tournament Championship match against the fifth-seeded Park University Pirates on Saturday, Nov. 15. The opening serve is set for 6 p.m. in the Carl & Deloris Petty SRC.
 
The Spartans enter the contest as winners of their last 13 matches, losing just six total sets in that span. They claimed a share of the Heart Regular Season Championship with Grand View University, going 17-1 in the conference.
 
The Pirates have been on fire as of late, going 4-1 overall, including wins over No. 25 MidAmerica Nazarene University and a Heart Semifinals win over the No. 1 seed Grand View University. Their only loss was a five-set defeat at MBU on Nov. 1.
 
In the Nov. 1 contest between Missouri Baptist and Park, Gabi Jakubowska crept closer to Ana Mercado's program record for kills (1,721) with a career-high 33 kills. She currently sits at 1,684 kills, 38  away from breaking the record and six away from passing Mallory Dillon (2014-16) for second place.
 
Over two matches in the Heart Tournament, the Spartans are averaging 12.67 kills per set, three aces per set, and 9.5 blocks per match. Jakubowska leads the attack with 5.00 kills per set, a .250 percentage, 30 kills, and four aces. Allana Capella has posted 3.17 kills per set, a .318 percentage, five aces, and averaged two digs per set. Fernanda Perini is hitting .333 with 2.00 blocks per set, one solo block, and 12 total blocks. Freshman setter Valentina Navarro has posted 11.17 assists per set, including 37 against William Woods University (Mo.) and 30 against MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.).
 
The two long-time rivals, formerly in the American Midwest Conference, have an extensive series history since 2009, with Park holding a 14-11 advantage. The Spartans are 2-3 against them over the last five matches, including a five-set win in the 2021 NAIA National Championship match to clinch back-to-back titles.
 
The Heart Championship match can be streamed for free on the Urban Edge Network. Tickets for the match can be purchased on MBUSpartans.com/Tickets, with live stats available on MBUSpartans.com or the Missouri Baptist Spartans mobile app.