FREMONT, Neb. — The Missouri Baptist University women's volleyball team opened its tough slate of games against ranked opponents at the Midland Showdown on Thursday afternoon, defeating No. 20 Midland University in a five-set thriller, 18-25, 25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 15-13.
The Spartans struggled to find their rhythm early, dropping the opening set to the Warriors. After scoring the first point of the match, MBU fell victim to a 7-0 run and struggled to recover.
The Spartans responded in the second set, tying the match behind kills from leaders Ashlynn Hughes and Katie Hunt. MBU carried that momentum into the third set, taking another closely contested battle to move ahead 2-1.
Set four continued to be a dogfight, featuring 11 ties throughout. Despite pulling within one point at 24-23 on a kill by Fernanda Perini, the Spartans fell just short of closing out the match in four sets.
Freshman Martina Ligabue stepped up in the deciding set, recording a career-high 22 digs as MBU outlasted Midland, 15-13, to secure the victory.
Overall, the Spartans recorded season highs in both kills (58) and digs (82).
"The girls did a great job battling against a very tough Midland team," head coach Claire Ochs said after the win. "Winning on the road against a ranked team is always a challenge. Ashlynn Hughes and Katie Hunt did a great job terminating and taking big swings in crucial moments."
"I felt like the team came together not only playing-wise, but chemistry-wise, too," Hughes said. "It took the whole team to win today's game."
The No. 11 Spartans continue tournament play Friday, facing No. 25 Viterbo at 10 a.m. and No. 12 Oklahoma Wesleyan at 3 p.m.
