Box Score ROLLA, Mo. - The Missouri S&T men's volleyball team resumed play in Gibson Arena with a comeback win over Missouri Baptist Thursday night as they won for the second time at home this season with a 3-1 win over the Spartans.
 
The Miners (2-5) dropped the first set 25-22 before taking the Spartans in each of the next three, winning 27-25, 30-28 and 26-24 to move to 2-0 in Gibson Arena this season 
 
After the teams split the first two points of the match, the Spartans ran off six straight points before kills by Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) and Aaron Sallade (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd) cut the deficit to four at 7-3. MBU led 12-8 when the Miners responded with a 4-0 run to tie the set, which included another kill by Meyer and a service ace from Brayden Kuruzovich (State College, Penn./State College Area School District). The Spartans regained the lead with a 5-2 spurt, then the teams exchanged points before a three-point run by MBU increased the S&T deficit to five before it went on to take the set.
 
The Spartans got the first point of set two, but S&T responded with a three-point run after a kill from Josh Duett (Grain Valley, Mo./Grain Valley) and a service ace from Ryan Sword (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson). The Miners would later run off five consecutive points which included kills from Grogan Kraus (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell North) and Duett and a service ace by Sallade to take an 8-4 lead.

S&T still held a 15-14 lead in the second set when a kill from Kraus, service ace from Sallade and kill by Duett pushed the lead to four.  The Miners held onto the lead until the Spartans scored three points in succession on back-to-back kills from Miljan Kastratovic and a service ace by Michael Olson to take a 25-24 advantage. However, Meyer, who had a huge night offensively for S&T, closed out the set on three straight points after a kill and service ace to win the set.

The teams went toe-to-toe in set three, with the Miners holding the lead for much of that time and taking a 13-9 lead.  S&T later led 15-13 when it went on a 4-1 run to up by five, but the Spartans worked their way back into the set and used a 4-0 run to go up 23-22.  However, the Miners were able to regain the one-point advantage after back-to-back errors from MBU, then after each team had numerous opportunities to close out the set, the Miners finally did Sallade recorded back-to-back kills to win the set.

In the fourth set, the Miners went on a 6-2 run after a service ace from Bryaden Kuruzovich that gave S&T an 11-8 advantage. The Spartans came back with a 4-0 run to take a 12-11 lead, then held a 20-19 lead when the Miners responded with three straight points after back-to-back kills from Sallade and Duett and a service ace by Meyer that gave S&T a 22-20 lead. MBU would counter that with a 4-0 run that put MBU up by two, but S&T closed out the set and match with the final four points, which came after two kills from Sallade and additional kills by Duett and Meyer.
 
The Miners were led in kills by Meyer with a career-high 28 kills, while adding six service aces and tying Andres Hernandez (Bedford, Texas/Trinity) with a team-high 12 digs. Duett added 11 kills while Sallade notched 9 kills as the trio combined for 48 total kills. Kuruzovich led S&T with 40 assists while adding two service aces and contributing a team-high three blocks.
 
As a team, S&T had 57 kills on 141 attacks as the Miners won the kill battle 57-45.
 
The Spartans, who were opening their season Thursday, were led in kills by Veljko Culibrk with 16 and Kastratovic with 13. MBU also got 30 assists and nine digs from David Rudic.   
 
The Miners will travel to Quincy Friday night for a 7 p.m. start at Pepsi Arena.