SIOUX CENTER, Iowa– Seventh-ranked Missouri Baptist University men's volleyball swept Dordt University on the road on Friday night. The Spartans bested the Defenders 29-27, 25-13, 25-19, and were led by 30 combined kills from Michael Olson and Kyle Radecki.
Dordt Recap
Missouri Baptist got off to a rocky start in the first set and was forced to call an early timeout trailing 9-4. Kyle Radecki and Marko Jovanovic later tied the match at 14 with kills and freshman Luka Stepanovic gave MBU the lead with a service ace.
Dordt regained the lead and came within three points of a set-one win at 22-19 before the Spartans rattled off four in a row including a kill and two service aces from
Veljko Culibrk which forced a home timeout. Radecki pushed the Defenders to the brink at 24-23, but they forced extra time on a service error and a kill from Andres Guzman.
An attack error from Cory Kuperus at 27-27 put the ball in the hands of setter
David Rudic who served up an ace to complete the comeback victory 29-27.
After both teams hit north of .400 in the opening frame, MBU responded with a .545 attack percentage in set two and held Dordt to a -.048 while forcing seven attack errors. The Spartans posted five blocks on their way to a 25-13 win to take a 2-0 advantage.
With all the momentum behind them, MBU steamrolled the Defenders in front of their home crowd
once again in the third set, sending down 17 kills on 27 attacks with two errors for a .556 percentage. After struggling in the previous two matches to end the homestand, Radecki sent down five kills in the final frame to end an impressive 13-kill performance and aid the Spartans to a 25-19 victory and a sweep.
"Kyle [Radecki] was playing the way Kyle can
play," said Head Men's Volleyball Coach Tom Young. "He did a great job with his connection and blocking moves tonight, and the scoresheet reflected it. Really proud of how the guys played tonight. It was a solid team win."
Olson also continued an impressive start to his year by posting a team-high 17 kills and a .640 hitting percentage on 25 attacks. Rudic led the team in assists (46) and blocks (4.0), while
Alex Seyer provided the defense with 12 digs.
Spartan Stat Leaders
Kills: Michael Olson (17)
Assists: David Rudic (46)
Hitting %: Michael Olson(.640)
Aces: Veljko Culibrk (2)
Digs: Alex Seyer (12)
Blocks: David Rudic (4.0)
Records
No. 7 Missouri Baptist: 8-2, 4-0 Heart
Dordt: 6-5, 1-4 Heart
Next Game
The Iowa trip continues with a conference matchup at (RV) Morningside University in Sioux City. The opening serve is set for 11 a.m.
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