ST. LOUIS – No. 15 Missouri Baptist University women's volleyball won its first Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday, defeating Park University in four sets (22-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-22).
The second-seeded Spartans defeated the fifth-seeded Pirates behind a .292 hitting percentage, 58 total kills, 13 blocks, and 10 aces. MBU will now await its fate for the NAIA Opening Round on Saturday, Nov. 22, announced in the NAIA Selection Show on Monday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m.
Gabi Jakubowska led the way for the MBU with 27 kills, a .451 hitting percentage, four block assists, 12 digs, and three aces. She crept within 11 kills of breaking Ana Mercado's program record for career kills (1,721) while posting her fourth double-double of 2025.
Allana Capella added to the attack with 18 kills, a .224 percentage, and an ace while posting a double-double with 10 digs.
Fernanda Perini notched 10 block assists in the match to pace the defense, followed by
Summer McDonough, who had four along with eight digs. Additionally,
Valentina Navarro directed the offense with 48 assists, and
Julia Reis Pereira added 23 digs at libero.
MBU dropped set one 22-25 after Park hit .270 behind four kills from Angelina Rodriguez. They rebounded with a match-best .406 percentage in set two, fueled by 10 kills from Jakubowska and six from Capella. With the Spartans leading 19-17, Capella and Jakubowska each had two kills plus a Capella ace to end the set on a 6-1 run.
In the third set, MBU once again led 19-17, when kills by
Madison Moore and
Julia Reis Pereira fueled a long service run by
Nina Cillo. MBU sent down 14 total kills in the set and won 25-18 on Cillo's ace.
Trailing 11-13 in the fourth set, Head Coach
Claire Ochs used a timeout to halt Park's momentum. A solo block from
Kassie Lee electrified the crowd in the Petty SRC and sent the Spartans on a six-point run. Perini, Capella, and Moore sent the home fans into a frenzy with another block ahead of a
Tiia Heikkinen ace. Trailing 19-24, the Pirates rattled off four in a row to freeze a gym full of standing fans, but only prolonged the set long enough to see Jakubowska's 27
th kill of the night to complete the title run.
The NAIA Selection show will be made available on the NAIA YouTube page on Monday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m.
