(Parkville, Mo.) -On the second day of the Park University tournament, the Spires showed their grit in a tight match that consisted of 33 ties and 14 different lead changes against a tough Wayland Baptist University squad ­winning in a hard fought 5 sets (26-24, 26-24, 25-18, 25-18, 15-7).

The Spires came out swinging with a balanced offensive effort with junior Chloe Byrd with 14 kills, junior MJ Stephens with 13 kills, freshman and sophomore hitting duo Saige Hadley and middle Emma Murphy each recording 11 kills, and rounding out the Spires offensive clinic was Sophia Frerking and Makenza Holly with 5 and 3 kills respectively.

Senior defensive specialist Gabby Kurle showed strengths of her own, defensively leading the Spires with 26 digs on the match. MJ Stephens contributed on both ends, tallying up 14 saves while sophomore Morgan Herrera made her mark with 13 saves.

USM looks to round out opening weekend with a final match against Oklahoma City University this afternoon.