OTTAWA, Kan. — After dropping a high-efficiency opening set, Ottawa responded with poise Saturday afternoon, defeating (RV) Missouri Baptist University 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-22) at the Mabee Center. The win was OU's first over MBU in program history.
Set 1 – Missouri Baptist 25, Ottawa 23
The Braves hit .464 in the opening frame but were edged late despite 14 kills and just one error.
Marko Zolnjan's late service ace cut the deficit to 24-22, and Ottawa pulled within one before Missouri Baptist closed it out.
Ottawa's offense was efficient early, but the Spartans' .548 hitting proved just enough.
Set 2 – Ottawa 25, Missouri Baptist 22
Ottawa responded immediately. A 5-0 run midway through the set flipped a 7-5 deficit into a 10-7 lead, sparked by kills from
Macort Pickup and
Petar Lazic.
The Braves maintained control behind strong distribution from
Quentin Le Dortz and sealed the set with a Zolnjan ace. Ottawa limited Missouri Baptist to .371 hitting and controlled the tempo late.
Set 3 – Ottawa 25, Missouri Baptist 21
The Braves created separation early with a 7-2 stretch and extended the advantage to 18-13 after consistent production from
Kadeem Morris and Pickup.
Missouri Baptist narrowed the gap to 23-21, but Ottawa capitalized on attack errors and finished strong to take a 2-1 match lead.
Set 4 – Ottawa 25, Missouri Baptist 22
The final set featured 11 ties before Ottawa delivered the decisive push. Leading 19-17, the Braves forced consecutive errors and extended the lead to 23-19.
Missouri Baptist fought back to 24-22, but Pickup terminated from the outside to clinch the match. Ottawa hit .355 in the final set and controlled the block late.
Braves By the Numbers
Team Totals
- 59 kills on .351 hitting
- 19 total blocks
- 6 service aces
- Held Missouri Baptist to .258 or lower in the final two sets
Key Turning Point
Trailing 12-9 in Set 4, Ottawa responded with a 6-2 run fueled by disciplined blocking and transition kills from Lazic and Zolnjan. That swing created the separation needed to close the match.
Who is Next
Ottawa (8-2, 3-0) returns to the court on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at (3) Park University in Parkville, Mo. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
