Baker Volleyball Reaches 17-Win Mark, Downs Culver-Stockton to Close Regular Season

CANTON, Mo. - Baker volleyball capped off its best regular season in over a decade in fitting fashion Friday night, going on the road to earn a four-set victory over Culver-Stockton and secure its highest win total since 2013.

The Wildcats defeated the Wildcats of Culver-Stockton by scores of 21-25, 25-12, 25-13, and 25-17 to close the regular season at 17-9 overall and 11-7 in Heart play, marking their most wins since the 2013 team went 23-10 and reached the Heart Tournament Championship.

Baker hit .261 on the night with 46 kills and four aces while holding Culver-Stockton to just .053 hitting and forcing 28 attack errors. BU also totaled nine team blocks and forced the hosts into negative hitting numbers in the middle two sets — at -.148 and -.214 — while controlling the tempo throughout the final three frames.

Individually, Brie Reedy paced the Baker attack with 11 kills on .458 hitting to go with two block assists, finishing with a match-high 12.0 points. Kylie Murray followed with nine kills and four digs, while both Widhalm and Meredith Brown added seven kills apiece. Kohanihokuao Misipeka delivered another all-around performance with six kills, three aces, four blocks, and eight digs, and setters Taryn Dial and Miranda Kuntz directed the offense with 16 and 17 assists, respectively.

After Culver-Stockton capitalized on a fast start to take the opening set, Baker quickly regrouped and controlled the remainder of the match behind efficient hitting and balanced production across the lineup. BU fell behind 13-5 in the first frame before rallying late on kills from Reedy and Brown to close the gap to four before the hosts sealed it at 25-21.

That late push set the tone for the rest of the night as Baker responded with one of its most complete sets of the year in the second. Misipeka's back-to-back aces and a pair of quick middle kills from Murray and Brown keyed a 9-1 stretch to make it 17-5, and Baker coasted from there to even the match, 25-12.

BU continued to roll in the third, jumping out to a 6-1 lead and never letting up. Brown, Reedy, and Misipeka teamed up for consecutive blocks at the net to spark an 8-1 run that pushed the margin to double digits, and Reedy's late back-to-back kills punctuated the 25-13 win. Baker hit .400 in the frame while forcing Culver-Stockton into -.214 hitting with eight errors and just four kills.

In the fourth, Baker kept its foot on the gas and led wire-to-wire, racing out to a 6-0 start behind three early kills from Reedy and two from Murray. Brown and Widhalm added timely swings down the stretch, and Murray fittingly delivered the final point with her ninth kill of the night to close out the 25-17 clincher.

Friday's win was Baker's seventh in its last 10 matches and officially sealed a regular season that saw the Wildcats clinch their first conference tournament berth since 2018 and post their best record in 12 years.

With the Heart of America standings still to be finalized following Saturday's final day of action, Baker now awaits the official seeding for the Heart Quarterfinals, scheduled for Nov. 8. The Wildcats are locked into the No. 6 spot and will face the No. 3 seed on the road in their first conference tournament match since 2018.

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