MARSHALL, Mo - No. 4 Spartans begin their final week of the regular season with a clean sweep over Missouri Valley. The newly crowned Heart Regular Season Champions haven't dropped a match since August.
An
Abby Harder kill starts off scoring action for the match. Shortly after, freshman standout
Katie Hunt subs in and picks up her stellar serving campaign with two straight service aces to help propel MBU to a quick 6-3 lead. The Vikings weren't able to get much going offensively, only managing four kills in the opening set. On the other side, MBU's 14 kills with a .290 hitting percentage kept them in firm control to prevail 25-14.
Set two proved similar, with the Spartans' attacking prowess at .265 and the Vikings still trying to find their rhythm, ending with a -.063 hitting percentage.
Alohilani Bursey had four kills, while
Ashlynn Hughes had two blocks in the set, helping MBU close out a 25-15 second-set win.
The ball was dispersed well by freshman setter
Martina Ligabue to start set three as five different attackers recorded a kill within the first 10 Spartan points. No. 4 Spartans went on three separate 4-0 runs within the set to build a steady lead against Missouri Valley, who had their first positive attacking percentage set at .154. With an overall kill spread of 46 to just 19, it was the story of the game, as Missouri Baptist got the win with a final set score of 25-16.
The Spartans were also dominant serving, with nine aces compared to just two from the Vikings, Hunt leading the way with a game-high three.
Fernanda Perini led with 11 kills, but Bursey and Hunt finished close behind with 10 apiece.
Julia Reis Pereira managed 19 digs, while Ligabue finished with 37 assists.
No. 4 Spartans close out the regular season with a road matchup at Central Methodist this coming Friday.
