Fayette, Mo. - The No. 10 ranked Central Methodist Volleyball team defeated Heart foe Baker Unversity in a three-set sweep by scores of 27-25, 25-4, 25-17 Sunday afternoon in Puckett Fieldhouse. Post-match the Eagles honored their 2020 senior class as part of senior day.
The win puts Central at 10-3 overall 8-3 in the conference. The Eagles now sit in second place in the South Division, half a game ahead of Evangel. Baker finishes their season with a 1-14 overall record, including a 1-11 mark in Heart play. Today's victory marks the Eagle's third-straight sweep and ninth overall of 2020.
The Wildcats kept pace with the No. 10 team in the nation, staying within one or two points throughout the first set. Baker gained control of the serve, leading 24-22 with the chance to clinch set point. However, CMU came back after a kill from Jordan Wolfe and a block from Anna Wolf to even the set at 24-24. Both teams exchanged points before Callie Henson downed back-to-back kills to give the Eagles the 27-25 win in set one.
The Central offense was rolling in set two, jumping out to an 8-3 lead. CMU would continue to cruise throughout, going on a 17-1 scoring run to claim a convincing 25-4 victory in set two and taking a 2-0 lead in the match. The Eagles' defense held Baker to a second set hitting percentage of -.318 and forced nine errors.
Baker attempted a third set comeback, pulling even with the Eagles at 12-12. Central closed the set on a 13-5 scoring run, completing their second three-set sweep over BU this season.
Wolfe led the offense, hitting .389 with 10 kills on 18 swings. Grace Stumbaugh added nine kills on 12 swings for an impressive .667 hitting percentage. She also added a solo block to her stat line. Elise Hardesty-Irvin and Shannon Peters combined for a total of 29 assists, as Hardesty-Irvin collected 15 followed by 14 for Peters. Peters also recorded three service aces while Annabelle Maassen, Krystal Brauner, and Hardesty-Irvin had two aces each.
On the defensive end, Anna Wolf recorded three block assists and a solo block, followed by Jordan Wolfe who finished the afternoon with two block assists. Sophomore Krystal Brauner led the Eagles with 14 digs while Genna Nickelson collected eight. Overall, Central's defense held Baker to just a .086 hitting percentage and 20 errors.
The Eagles will host Evangel for the final regular-season match of 2020 Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m. inside Puckett Fieldhouse. Central edged the Crusaders in five sets back on Oct. 27 in Springfield. Tuesday's match will also determine the No. 2 seed in the Heart South Division for the upcoming conference tournament this upcoming weekend.
#TakeFlight
