ST. LOUIS - Coming off a clean sweep of a conference opponent Friday night, the No. 10 Missouri Baptist Women's Volleyball team replicated that success with a dominant showing against Mount Mercy University. The Mustangs entered the matchup with a 14-3 record and sitting third in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, setting the stage for what looked to be a competitive matchup. The Spartans quickly put those expectations to rest, making quick work of Mount Mercy with three identical 25-14 set victories.
The Spartans came out firing, building an early 7-3 advantage behind three quick kills from Fernanda Perini, who rested in Friday's match against Clarke University. Back-to-back service aces from Isabella Munari later extended the MBU lead to 11-5. Mount Mercy was never able to find an answer, managing just nine more points the rest of the set. Ashlynn Hughes put the finishing touches on the opening frame with a kill to secure a 25-14 victory.
Sets two and three followed a similar script, with Head Coach Claire utilizing the Spartans' depth as the match progressed. MBU consistently put together runs that the Mustangs could not recover from. Late in the second set, Noa Reculard entered the match and immediately made an impact, teaming up with Perini for a block to close out another 25-14 win. Set three ended with a bang as well, with Katie Hunt converting on a back-row attack to seal the sweep for the Spartans.
It was a block party for MBU as the duo of Perini and Herdie Castillo proved nearly impenetrable at the net. Perini finished with a season-high eight blocks, while Castillo added six as the Spartans consistently disrupted the Mount Mercy attack.
MBU was equally impressive from the service line, producing 11 aces compared to just two from Mount Mercy. Freshman Hunt led the way with four service aces, while Munari and Martina Ligabue each chipped in three.
The Spartans return to action Tuesday at home, taking on William Woods University at 7 p.m.
