Wildcats Push (RV) MidAmerica Nazarene to the Brink in Five-Set Heartbreaker

BALDWIN CITY - Coming off a non-conference win on the road last night, the Baker volleyball team battled (RV) MidAmerica Nazarene down to the wire but came up just short in a five-set thriller on Saturday night inside Collins Gym.

The Pioneers outlasted the Wildcats, 25-20, 21-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-13, to pick up a road win in the Heart matchup and spoil BU's first victory against their rival, which came back in 2018.

The match followed a familiar script for the Wildcats, who once again went toe-to-toe with a quality opponent and held momentum in the middle frames. After splitting the first two sets, Baker surged in front with a gritty third-set win and built multiple leads in the fourth and fifth before the Pioneers clawed back to steal the decisive points.

Baker hit .215 as a team compared to .241 for MNU, with both squads trading punches throughout the night. The Wildcats held a 14-12 edge in blocks, led by four from Brie Reedy, but were limited to just four aces—their second-lowest total of the season.

Individually, the Wildcats were lifted by another standout night from Kohanihokuao Misipeka, who posted her third straight double-double with 21 kills and 18 digs while hitting .341. She came within three assists of a triple-double, adding seven dimes. Aby Widhalm also turned in her second consecutive double-double (18 kills, 17 digs), while libero Reese Kehl matched her career high with 31 digs, the third time this fall she has reached the 30-dig mark. Setter Taryn Dial also equaled her career high with 31 assists, a mark she first set earlier this season at Friends.

The opening set saw the Pioneers pull away late, using a 5-0 run to stretch their lead and take a 1-0 match edge. Baker responded in the second as Meredith Brown and Kylie Murray combined on a key block before an ace from Kate Reese and a flurry of kills from Misipeka fueled a 25-21 equalizer. The Wildcats then erased an early deficit in the third, closing on a block by Reedy and Abby Elffner to claim a 2-1 lead.

BU looked poised to close the match in the fourth after sprinting to a 7-3 start and later holding a 14-10 advantage, but MNU rallied back to knot things at 19-19 and finished strong to force a decisive fifth. The Wildcats found themselves trailing 14-10 in the final set before nearly pulling off another comeback with three straight points to make it 14-13, but the Pioneers held on for the final swing.

The result marked the first time this season that MNU, who entered the night on a seven-match winning streak, had been pushed to five sets. For Baker, it was their second straight five-set setback at home following Tuesday's marathon with Kansas Wesleyan. The Wildcats are 1-2 in five-set matches this season, with their lone victory coming at Friends earlier this fall.

The Wildcats move to 5-4 on the season and will look to rebound on Tuesday, Sept. 16, with a road trip to Peru, Neb., to face Peru State at 6 p.m.

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