ST. LOUIS – Fourth-ranked Missouri Baptist University men's volleyball avoided a reverse sweep at the hands of (RV) Cumberland University on Wednesday night with a 15-11 set-five win. The Spartans are now 13-2 overall and have extended their winning streak to 10 in a row.
 
(RV) Cumberland Recap
The Spartans decisively won the first two sets at 25-16 and 25-14 before dropping the next two. In the fifth set, setter David Rudic found outside hitter Marko Jovanovic for six kills, including the one that sealed a 15-11 set victory and a 3-2 win over the Phoenix.
 
MBU rode four total team blocks and five kills from Kyle Radecki in the first set to a massive win. The team hit .435 in the 25-16 win and followed up with a .810 percentage in the second set to jump ahead quickly 2-0.
 
Joao Infante led the charge for the Phoenix in the third set, trying to avoid the sweep, as his six kills in the frame helped the team to a late advantage. Back-to-back kills by Jovanovic pulled the Spartans to within one at 24-23, but Sam Mannebach set Jacob Whyte for a loud final play to keep the game going.
 
Cumberland took all the momentum into a fifth set after a 25-18 win in set four. The teams matched each other point for the point when Jovanovic sent down a kill and proceeded to tally three more during a 5-0 run. The Phoenix got two back at match point when Rudic stuck with the game plan and had Jovanovic send down the final point to earn the 3-2 victory.
 
With his 61 assists, Rudic set a new career single-game high, besting his previous best of 58 set on Feb. 1, 2022, against Culver-Stockton College. Veljko Culibrk led the team with six aces and 10 blocks, while Jovanovic had 22 kills and Michael Anderson contributed with a .625 attack percentage.
 
Spartan Stat Leaders
Kills: Marko Jovanovic (22)
Assists: David Rudic (61)
Hitting %: Michael Anderson (.625)
Aces: Veljko Culibrk (6)
Digs: Alex Seyer (8)
Blocks: Veljko Culibrk (10.0)
 
Records
No. 4 Missouri Baptist: 13-2, 8-0 Heart
(RV) Cumberland: 9-3, 3-0 Mid-South
 
Next Game
The Spartans are back in the Carl & Deloris Petty SRC on Friday, March 7, for a 7 p.m. matchup against Mount Mercy University.
 
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