St. Louis – Making the short trip to No. 14 Missouri Baptist, the Maryville University men's volleyball team challenged the Spartans but MBU prevailed 25-23, 25-22, 25-18. Joe Nicometo and Drew Rogers led the Saints with seven kills, while Rogers topped the squad with six digs.
 
Missouri Baptist recap
The Saints held an early lead in set one and reeled off three straight points. Jacob Fischer had a kill and an ace, followed by a kill from Rogers for a 7-3 edge. The Spartans chipped away and finally tied the score at 11-11. The teams traded the lead until a 3-0 burst put Maryville on top. Victor Ganev, Rogers and Fischer had three straight kills for a 19-16 advantage. The Saints were still up 22-21 but the Spartans scored three straight and scored the final two points to take set one.
 
The hosts jumped on top to open set two by a 7-1 margin. Maryville scored four of the next five points to get back into the set. MBU was still ahead 19-15 before scoring four straight points. The Saints took advantage of two MBU errors and a Luke Van Handel kill to close to 23-18. The Spartans reached set point but the Saints scored four-in-a-row. Fischer had a kill, and after an MBU error, Van Handel and Fischer had a block. However, the Maryville rally fell short at 25-22.
 
Maryville was up 3-2 until the Spartans went on a 6-1 burst. The Saints stayed within striking range and slowly chipped away at the MBU margin. After a Spartan hitting error, Van Handel's ace pulled the Saints to 14-13. The Spartans inched back ahead before a Van Handel kill cut the deficit to 20-17. The Spartans scored five of the last six points to end the match.
 
Statistical Leaders
Kills: Joe Nicometo and Drew Rogers - 7
Hitting Percentage: Jacob Fischer - .333
Assists: Cameron Chambers - 27
Service Aces: David Fleischer - 2
Digs: Drew Rogers - 6
Blocks: Cameron Chambers, Jacob Fischer, David Fleischer - 2
 
Records
Maryville: 9-14
No. 14 Missouri Baptist: 20-7
 
What's Next?
The Saints are back home in Moloney Arena for back-to-back matches to close out the week. Thomas More visits Friday, March 24, for a 7 p.m. match, and Judson University comes to town Saturday, March 25, for a 7 p.m. first serve.