Wildcats Take Down Ravens on Senior Night to Clinch Conference Tournament Spot

BALDWIN CITY - Adding another high point to one of the program's most successful seasons in a decade, Baker volleyball delivered a rivalry win in front of a fired-up Collins Center crowd, taking down Benedictine 3-1 on Senior Night.

BU earned the victory on set scores of 25-20, 22-25, 26-24, 25-17 to close its home slate at 8-4 and secure a spot in the conference tournament for the first time since 2018.

Prior to the match, seniors Meredith Brown and Taryn Dial - along with sophomore Ellen Steer - were honored for their contributions to the program, and both Brown and Dial played key roles in the win. Dial registered 27 assists and helped orchestrate a .301 team hitting percentage, while Brown finished with seven kills and came through with crucial attacks in Baker's comeback moments.

With the victory, Baker clinched its first Heart of America Athletic Conference tournament berth since 2018, notched its first 16-win season since 2014, and completed a season sweep of Benedictine for the first time since the league moved to a double round-robin format in 2016.

Kohanihokuao Misipeka turned in another terrific all-around effort with 18 kills (.300), 15 digs, four blocks and an ace, while Aby Widhalm added 13 kills, 12 digs and two aces. Reese Kehl anchored the back row with 20 digs and two aces as Baker out-blocked Benedictine 13-10 and limited the Ravens to a .200 clip.

Benedictine took early control in the opening set, creating a three-point lead while Misipeka and Brie Reedy kept BU close. Consecutive aces from the Ravens added to their advantage, which eventually stretched out to 16-11.

From there, Baker stormed back with a monstrous 14-4 run to take the set, 25-20. Widhalm, Misipeka, and Kaitlyn Stout all tallied multiple kills during the surge as BU seized a 1-0 lead and brought an electric home crowd to its feet.

The Wildcats seemed to have the momentum in set two, claiming the first three points on back-to-back kills from Brown, followed by an ace from Kehl. The Ravens responded with a stretch that saw them swing a 10-5 lead over to their side with Misipeka and Reedy halting the run on a block.

Trailing by six, Baker cut it to a two-point deficit on another combo block from Misipeka and Reedy, but Benedictine reeled off another strong rally to take a 23-17 lead. BU tried to rally late behind Widhalm and Stout, but the Ravens held on to tie the match at 1-1.

Set three proved to be a pivotal one as the Wildcats overcame an early 7-2 run from the Ravens to square things up at 13-all on a string of five unanswered points, fueled by the senior duo of Brown and Dial.

The two teams traded points until BC won three straight to take a 23-21 lead and force a BU timeout. The timeout worked brilliantly as the Wildcats won five of the last six points, including the set-winner from Kylie Murray, following a perfect dig from Kate Reese, to push back in front in the match.

The Wildcats carried that energy into the fourth, opening on an 8-1 burst highlighted by a Murray ace and another pair of kills from Widhalm. Benedictine trimmed the gap to three late, but another well-timed timeout from Baker head coach Nils Nielsen reset the momentum, leading to four straight points that sealed it.

A dump from Miranda Kuntz helped set up match point as Baker closed out the home slate in style with a 3-1 win over a team that was directly behind them in the Heart standings coming into the night.

The Wildcats now sit at 16-9 overall and 10-7 in Heart play heading into the final game of the regular season. Currently, they are sixth in the league standings, sitting one spot behind Central Methodist (11-6) and one spot ahead of William Woods (9-7).

Baker will close out the 2025 regular season on Halloween, traveling to Canton, Mo. to take on Culver-Stockton on Friday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

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