CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Missouri Baptist University men's volleyball had its season ended in Pool D of the NAIA Championship on Thursday with a three-set loss to St. Thomas University.
 
MBU ends 2025 as the Heart of America Athletic Conference Co-Regular Season Champions, which included a 27-6 overall record and a 17-2 record in conference play.
 
St. Thomas Recap
St. Thomas had a relentless attack as they swept the Spartans 25-23, 25-22, 25-17 to move onto the NAIA Semifinals. They hit .462 compared to MBU's .284, making 11 fewer errors.
 
Veljko Culibrk led the way for his team with 15 kills, with Marko Jovanovic on his heels with 13. David Rudic ended his Spartan career with an even 4,000 assists after posting 38 against the Bobcats, while Johnathan Kreke hit .500 and added a trio of blocks.
 
MBU hit .280 in the opening set and found themselves behind 22-18. Block assists from Kreke and Jovanovic, followed by a kill from Michael Olson, pulled the team to within 22-21 and forced an STU timeout. The two teams exchanged points throughout the remainder of the set to give the Bobcats a 1-0 advantage with a 25-23 win.
 
The Spartans' most efficient set on the attack was set two. They hit .467, including 19 kills on 30 attacks and five errors. Trailing 17-14, they rallied to tie the frame up, but late kills from Gabriel Negrao and Jesus Montes slammed the door closed.
 
With all of the momentum behind them, the Bobcats dismantled the Spartans in the final set, hitting .579 compared to MBU's .121 to end the sweep with a 25-17 final in the third.
 
Spartan Stat Leaders
Kills: Veljko Culibrk (15)
Assists: David Rudic (38)
Hitting %: Johnathan Kreke (.500)
Aces: David Rudic (1)
Digs: Three tied (6)
Blocks: Johnathan Krake (3.0)
 
Pool D:
Missouri Baptist: 1-1
St. Thomas: 2-0
UC Merced: 0-2

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