Fayette, Mo. - The Central Methodist Volleyball program extended its win streak to five matches with a clean sweep of Missouri Valley College Tuesday night inside Puckett Field House.
CMU took the match in straight sets by scores of 25-20, 25-6, and 25-13. With the win, the Eagles improve to 21-5 and 10-2 in the Heart of America. Missouri Valley drops to 14-11 and 6-6 in conference play.
After a shaky first set that saw the Eagles trailing 10-7, Central clawed their way back to tie the set at 13-13 following a kill by super senior Annabelle Maassen.
Both teams exchanged points and the score remained deadlocked at 14-14. CMU rattled off four straight points, highlighted by a kill from Martina Gonzato and back-to-back kills from Gimena Dezeo.
The Vikings got within two at 21-19 before the Eagles went on a 3-0 scoring run. Gonzato put the finishing touches on the set with a kill, giving CMU a 1-0 advantage in the match.
Set two was all Central, as the Eagles hit a staggering .593 with 17 kills and just one attack error. CMU opened the set by scoring 14 of the first 17 points to take a commanding 14-3 lead.
The Vikings couldn't stop the bleeding, as Central stretched its lead to 21-4 before going on to win 25-6.
In control of the match at 2-0, the Eagles continued to cruise in set three after jumping out to a 7-2 lead. Central would lead by as many as 11 points in the latter stages before completing the sweep with a 25-13 win.
Junior Joana Milho led the Central attackers with 11 kills on 22 swings, along with seven digs, and two service aces.
Gonzato was CMU's most efficient hitter, tallying nine kills on 13 swings for a .615 attack percentage. Maassen finished the evening with eight kills and three digs.
The trio of Leticia Barea, Dezeo, and Kelsie Walker each registered four kills while Mia Trankler concluded the night with three kills and four blocks. Walker also tallied three blocks.
Freshman setter Giulia Gainelli led Central with 18 assists along with five digs and a service ace. Fellow setter Gabi Owczarek dished out 17 assists and nearly earned a double-double with eight digs.
Senior libero Rita Campos finished the match with nine digs, six assists, and two service aces.
The Eagles head out on the road for a crucial two-game road swing, beginning with Grand View University on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7:00 p.m. in Des Moines, Iowa.
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