FORT WAYNE, IND. - No. 11 Missouri Baptist University women's volleyball opened competition for Spartan Athletics in the 2026-27 academic year with a two-match day at the Onset Invitational. After dropping the season-opener against Marian University by a score of 1-3, MBU responded with a massive 3-1 victory in a top 25 battle against No. 13 Indiana University Kokomo.
Marian Recap
Despite jumping to a big 1-0 set lead, 25-14, Missouri Baptist lost three in a row to Marian, 24-26, 22-25, 22-25.
The Spartans hit the ground running in Indiana, gaining an early 8-2 advantage thanks to a pair of kills for Isabella Munari and Fernanda Perini each. Errors on the part of Marian and many more successful swings for MBU granted a smooth 25-14 win in the initial set.
The Knights responded in fashion, pushing the Spartans to their limits the rest of the way. Missouri Baptist held a 24-23 lead in set two before giving three straight points to Marian. In the second half of the contest, the Spartans were never quite capable of regaining their momentum, beginning their season 0-1.
Newcomer Herdie Castillo flashed what looks to be true hitting prowess in her first match wearing navy and white. The sophomore tallied 15 kills on a .371 percentage, adding nine blocks for 20 points. Munari and Perini each contributed 10 kills to the mix. Martina Ligabue assisted on 31 points, while Julia Reis Pereira worked her way around the back row, managing 33 digs.
Khori Dryden led Marian with 11 kills, followed closely by Ava Tindall, Danielle Schade, and Chloe Cook with nine.
IU Kokomo Recap
Resilience was on display for the Spartans as they earned their first victory in their marquee matchup of the weekend against No. 13 IU Kokomo 25-23, 18-25, 28-26, 25-18.
The opening set was a prime example of two heavyweights throwing knockout punches back and forth, resulting in 12 ties throughout, including at 23. The shift came from a huge Katie Hunt kill by way of Ligabue for the Spartans' 24th point, followed by an attacking error by the Cougars.
Set two, on the other hand, was dominated by streaks and momentum. With an 8-6 lead, Kokomo seized their opportunities, rallying for nine straight. As suddenly as it was present, the Cougars' run disappeared, though. MBU responded with seven straight points of their own, highlighted by two swings from Alohilani Bursey and a service ace from Nina Cillo. Yet, IUK was able to outlast, earning their sole set victory on the day, 25-18.
The match tied at 1-1, both teams looked to capitalize on an important third set. Castillo was able to ground seven attempts throughout, pushing the Spartans forward, Tied at 26, back-to-back kills from Ashlynn Hughes and Hunt put MBU on top, 28-26.
The final set would be all Missouri Baptist, cementing the squad's first win in 2026. Again, it was Castillo leading the way, this time with 16 kills. Hughes stepped up in a big moment, notching 15 kills of her own, while Perini added 13. Ligabue assisted 47 points, and a team effort resulted in 68 digs.
Mya Grigsby and Mia Niekamp led the Cougars with 14 and 13 kills respectively.
"The girls did a great job adjusting after our first match today," said Head Coach Claire Ochs. "Martina Ligabue ran our offense and got our middles heavily involved in the match to help us win against a very talented team."
Missouri Baptist sits at 1-1 entering day two of the Onset Invitational, where the Spartans are set to face Fisk University and Saint Xavier University.
