TIGERS FALL TO No. 11 MISSOURI BAPTIST IN FOUR SETS

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Olivet Nazarene University's (ONU) men's volleyball team went toe-to-toe with No. 11 Missouri Baptist University on Saturday afternoon, pushing the nationally ranked Spartans in a competitive four-set battle. Despite a strong start, the Tigers couldn't sustain momentum, falling 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 19-25, 16-25) in their second home match of the season.

ONU set the tone early with an efficient first set, hitting .290 as a team. Brody McAfee powered the offense, delivering eight kills, while Kahaku Marquez added a few key swings. The Tigers built a late lead and capitalized on a Missouri Baptist attack error to take the set, 25-23, grabbing the early advantage.

Missouri Baptist responded in the second, cleaning up its attack and hitting .343 as a team. ONU stayed within striking distance behind McAfee and Marquez, but the Spartans pulled away late with a balanced offensive effort. The Tigers were efficient, hitting .269 in the set, but back-to-back kills by Missouri Baptist sealed a 25-21 win to even the match.

Momentum stayed with the Spartans in the third, as they jumped out to an early 10-6 lead. ONU's attack struggled to find consistency, hitting just .100 in the frame. McAfee continued to be a bright spot, but Missouri Baptist's size and efficiency at the net disrupted ONU's attack. The Spartans used a mid-set run to build separation, eventually securing a 25-19 win to take a 2-1 advantage. 

ONU looked for a response in the fourth, but Missouri Baptist continued to apply pressure. The Spartans jumped ahead quickly and never looked back, limiting the Tigers to nine kills while hitting .357 themselves. McAfee finished with a match-high 20 kills on a .415 clip, but ONU couldn't mount a comeback, dropping the set 25-16.

Looking Ahead

ONU now shifts its focus to conference play, opening CCAC action on the road against No. 2 Saint Xavier University on Feb. 11th at 7:00 p.m. CST.

--ONU—

*Contact Anyssa Hampton, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, ahampton@olivet.edu