Athletics Headlines: Women's Volleyball Opens Season at Best Western Classic

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September 6, 2008

Women's Volleyball Opens Season at Best Western Classic

The Missouri Baptist University women's volleyball team did not perform as well as it had hoped to this weekend. MBU Head Coach John Yehling had hoped that a strong performance by his team against three NAIA Top 25 teams at Columbia College's Best Western Classic would earn the Lady Spartans a Top 25 ranking in the NAIA Coaches Poll. Having lost all four matches this weekend, it seems that hope will have to wait to be fulfilled.

The Lady Spartans opened the season Friday afternoon with a tightly played five-game loss to the 15th ranked local rival Lindenwood University (21-25, 23-25, 27-25, 27-25, 10-15). In her first collegiate match, freshman outside hitter Lindsay Vlassos (Lutheran High School) led MBU with 20 kills.

In the primetime match-up American Midwest Conference rival Columbia College (ranked 6th) topped the Lady Spartans in four games (16-25, 24-26, 25-22, 20-25). MBU freshman Megan Moore (Mehlville High School) let the Lady Spartan net play, earning 11 kills and 5 blocks.

Saturday featured two quick matches for MBU, as the Lady Spartans lost each in three. They dropped the morning match to 11th ranked Bellevue University (9-25, 17-25, 19-25) and the afternoon match to 22nd ranked Georgetown College (18-25, 14-25, 24-26). MBU senior middle hitter Brittany Lukasek was named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Lady Spartans look to earn their first win of the season when they open AMC play at home on Tuesday, taking on Hannibal-LaGrange College at 7:00 p.m. Hannibal will enter the contest with a 1-1 record.