No. 7 Mustangs Upset No. 4 Spartans in Thrilling Road Victory

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Mount Mercy's men's volleyball team earned a massive road win Friday night after taking down No. 4 Missouri Baptist in a five-set thriller. The Mustangs won the match with set scores of 17-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-19, and 15-10, handing the Spartans their first conference loss. 

From the opening serve, the Mustangs did not let their set losses overpower them. In set one, the Spartans prevented the Mustangs from gaining momentum offensively, holding them to a -.032 hitting percentage and eight kills. The Spartans took the opening set, 25-19, hitting .357 and recording 13 kills Set two saw the Mustangs bouncing back from the first set loss, taking the set 25-17 on an efficient .200 hitting percentage. 

The Spartans responded to the Mustangs' momentum shift, reclaiming a 2-1 match lead after winning set three 25-19. The Mustangs were contained to hitting -.031 while the Spartans came out on top with a .167 hitting percentage. In set four, the Mustangs hit a game-high .256 to send the game to a deciding fifth set with a 25-19 set victory over the Spartans. 

With the score tied 7-7 in the fifth set, the Mustangs rallied to pull ahead of the Spartans to claim a 15-10 set five win to seal their 3-2 match victory. The Mustangs held the Spartans to a -.385 hitting percentage and just one kill in the decisive final set, while the Mustangs collected seven kills and hit .100. 

Guglielmo Illotti paced the Mustangs' offensive attack, hitting .111 and recording 13 kills. Gabor Toth also reached double figures with 11 kills, hitting .024, while Matthew Krzos trailed with a .444 hitting percentage and nine kills. Gustavo Bauer guided the Mustangs with 37 assists and seven digs, with Richard Struska contributing 15.

The Spartans were led by Michael Olson, recording 12 kills and hitting .136 while collecting five blocks. Marko Jovanovic followed Olson, hitting .031 with 11 kills and picking up six digs. David Rudic paced the Spartan offense with 32 assists and 16 digs. 

Mount Mercy (13-2, 8-1 Heart) will be back on the court on Saturday, March 8th, as they face the UHSP Eutectics on the road, starting at 2:00 p.m.