ST. LOUIS – No. 11 Missouri Baptist University men's volleyball improved to 3-0 in 2025 after finishing the Heart of America Challenge with a 3-1 win over Governors State University and a sweep over Brescia University.

Governors State Recap
The Spartans and Jaguars exchanged points in the early going before MBU found separation on a pair of kills from Kyle Radecki and one from the setter David Rudic to give them a 9-6 lead.
 
At 12-9, Radecki teamed up with Michael Olson to send their team on a 7-1 run to push Governors State to the brink in set one. The Jags clawed their way back toward the end of the set, pulling within five, but the Spartans wrapped up a 25-18 win to take a 1-0 advantage. In total, MBU hit .448 with 16 kills on 29 attacks and three errors, making it their most efficient set of the match.
 
MBU came within one point of winning set two, but a service error at 24-22 put the ball in Daniel Lopez's hands at the service line which allowed GSU to rattle off four points in a row tie the match at one set apiece.
 
The Jaguars led once again late into the third set at 17-16. Rudic found Michael Anderson for a kill to tie the game and Anderson made it back-to-back on the next play for the lead. GSU then made three consecutive errors to push MBU out in front 21-17.
 
Later tied at 23, Jovanovic notched a kill off another assist from Rudic, one of 45 in the contest, before a Lopez attack error gave the Spartans a 2-1 lead with a 25-23 set three victory.
 
With a chance to wrap up a four-set win, MBU hit .344 in the final frame with 14 kills and three errors on 39 attacks. The Spartans found breathing room with a 5-0 run in the middle of the set, matched GSU point-for-point until 22-18, and eventually ended the set and the match with consecutive Olson service aces.
 
The Spartan presence at the net was felt throughout the match, posting seven more blocks than the opposition. Culibrk had eight, while Radecki and Anderson tallied six each.

Spartan Stat Leaders
Kills: Michael Olson (14)
Assists: David Rudic (45)
Hitting %: Michael Anderson (.643)
Aces: Michael Olson (2)
Digs: David Rudic (10)
Blocks: Veljko Culibrk (8.0)
 
Brescia Recap
The Spartans ran out to a 12-4 lead in the first set and forced a quick timeout from the Jaguars. Out of the timeout, Marko Jovanovic registered a kill, sending his team on an 8-1 run to extend the lead to 20-5. MBU went on to win the opening set 25-12 with a .520 hitting percentage.
 
A service ace from Olson at 1-0 in the second and a pair of Radecki kills had MBU ahead 4-0. The Spartans held a big lead until Mustafa Yildiz willed his team to back within two points at 15-13. The teams exchanged every few points until Alex Seyer and Jovanovic closed the door with kills.
 
With a sweep on the line, the Spartans played possibly the worst set of the day from a percentage standpoint, but Michael Olson registered seven kills in the final frame to help the cause. Junior Josh Kaemmerer also stepped up with a trio of service aces in the set, while freshmen Luka Stepanovic and Grady Holloway both registered the first aces of their careers. They went on to win the set 25-21 to clean up the sweep of Brescia.

Spartan Stat Leaders
Kills: Michael Olson (12)
Assists: David Rudic (22)
Hitting %: Veljko Culibrk (.571)
Aces: Michael Olson (3)
Digs: Alex Seyer (7)
Blocks: Michael Anderson (3.0)
 
Records
No. 11 Missouri Baptist: 3-0
Governors State: 6-2
Brescia: 2-2
 
Next Game
The Spartans drive down the road to NCAA DII school Maryville University for the Conway Road Clash on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The opening serve in the Simon Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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