BOURBONNAIS, ILL. – Missouri Baptist University men's volleyball showed its resilience in a thrilling five-set comeback, rallying from an early deficit to defeat the University of Rio Grande (Ohio) 3–2 (25-27, 20-25, 25-23, 25-16, 15-9) on Friday afternoon in Bourbonnais, Illinois.

Justin McGary led the Spartans' comeback effort, finishing with 11 kills and three service aces. Luka Stepanovic also continued with a strong performance with 14 kills on a .444 hitting percentage, while Johnathan Kreke had a .562 attack percentage on 11 kills.

The opening two sets belonged to Rio Grande, as the RedStorm battled with the Spartans 27-25 in a tightly contested first set before controlling the second set 25-20. Missouri Baptist stayed within striking distance, but Rio Grande's offensive efficiency put the Spartans in a 2–0 hole.

After a timeout early in the third, the Spartans went on a 4-0 serving run, which flipped the script for Missouri Baptist. They then settled into their offense and defense, pulling away late to claim a 25-23 win. The team hit .304 as a team with 14 kills. The set marked a turning point, as Missouri Baptist began to dictate the tempo and limit Rio Grande's scoring runs.

Momentum fully swung in favor of the Spartans in the fourth set. Missouri Baptist dominated from the opening serve, hitting .500 as a team and cruising to a 25-16 victory, forcing a fifth set. The Spartans' blocking and service pressure stifled Rio Grande's attack.

Missouri Baptist carried its energy into the final set, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back. Behind strong serving and timely kills, the Spartans closed out the comeback with a 15-9 win to secure the five-set victory.

Missouri Baptist improves to 3-0 on the season and will return home for the Heart of America Challenge next week.