St. Louis – The Maryville men's volleyball team hosted Missouri Baptist in the first official "Conway Clash" and the match proved to be a thriller. However, the No. 11 ranked Spartans edged the Saints in five sets. MBU just prevailed 23-25, 25-18, 25-18, 23-25, 16-14 over Maryville. Mason Mortimer pounded down 18 kills to lead three Saints in double figures. Jacob Fischer and Luke Van Handel both notched 10 kills apiece. Avery Pohlman came up with 13 digs, Cameron Chambers distributed 40 assists while Avery Pohlman finished with 13 digs.
 
Missouri Baptist Recap
The Saints scored four straight points to push out to a 17-12 lead in set one. The Spartans clawed back and got all the way to within 24-23 but Mortimer's kill ended the set for the Saints at 25-23. MBU had its best hitting percentage of the first four sets with a .323 mark which led to a 25-18 win to even the match.
 
The visitors replicated the scoreline in set three to grab a 2-1 edge over the Saints. Maryville scored the first three points in set four and kept a small margin for most of the set. The Saints led 23-20 but MBU tied the score at 23-all. The Saints came up with a block, and a Spartan hitting error gave the Saints a 25-23 lead and forced a decisive fifth set.
 
The Saints hit .500 in the final set but the Spartans were a bit better at .600 as the teams only had one error apiece. Up 5-4, Mortimer had a kill, and a Tate Sandvig kill was good for a 7-4 advantage. The Saints were still leading 8-5 after an MBU miscue. The Spartans rallied to tie the score at 8-8 and the set was tied six more times. MBU had a kill to reach match point before a Maryville attempt was wide to end the match.
 
Statistical Leaders:
Kills: Mason Mortimer - 18
Hitting Percentage: Luke Van Handel - .444
Assists: Cameron Chambers - 40
Digs: Avery Pohlman - 13
Service Aces: Tate Sandvig - 2
Blocks: Jacob Fischer, Mason Mortimer, Tate Sandvig - 2
 
Records
Maryville: 3-7
Missouri Baptist: 6-2
 
What's Next?
The Saints host back-to-back matches as University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy visits for a 7 pm tilt Wednesday, Feb. 9, in Moloney Arena.