Wildcats Fall to Vikings, 3-0 in Conference Road Match

MARSHALL, Mo. – In its first match of October, the Baker volleyball team fell on the road to Heart of America opponent Missouri Valley, 3-0 on Tuesday night in Marshall, Mo. The Vikings earned the conference sweep with set scores of 25-18, 25-12, and 25-16.

Kierra Hipple led the Wildcats with five kills in the match to give the junior hitter 129 kills total for the season. Emma Grossoehme tallied seven assists, while Grace Wood (6) and Kierstyn Harmon (5) each chipped in to BU's 19 assists in the game.

Hitting .268 on the night, the Vikings attack came out strong in the opening set, going on a 6-0 run to give them an early 7-3 lead. Baker worked its way back in the set with an ace by Harmon knotting the match at 9-9. After the two sides went back-and-forth, the Vikings started to pull away late and used six straight points to claim the first set, 25-18.

In the second set, MVC went on a 7-0 stretch to build a double-digit lead and go up 15-5 midway through the frame. Following a kill by BU's Meredith Brown that brought the Wildcats within eight, the Vikings would win the next five rallies to take the second set, 25-12 and bring the match to a 2-0 advantage for the hosts.

The Wildcats gained some traction in the third set with kills by Kennedy Bryan and Adelyn Bybee sparking a 7-6 lead for BU to start the set. Missouri Valley rolled off a couple of 5-0 runs to counter the early BU lead and create an eight-point cushion with the score at 17-9. A string of MVC attacking errors brought the Wildcats within four at one point before the Vikings finished off the set with another five straight points to win the match on a 3-0 sweep.

Up next, the Wildcats return to Baldwin City for a weekend homestand, beginning with a match against Peru State on Friday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. before taking on Graceland on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. inside Collins Gym.

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