After clinching at least a share of the Heart Regular Season title earlier in the week, the No. 21 Central Methodist volleyball team locked up the regular season crown outright with a three-set sweep of Culver-Stockton College Friday night in Puckett Field House.

Central defeated the Wildcats in straight sets, 25-13, 25-13, and 25-21, to lock up their first outright Heart Regular Season Championship since 2004.

On the Tuesday prior, Central took down No. 24 Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., to guarantee a share of the title. Friday’s win cements the regular season championship.

Prior to Friday’s home match, the program honored its 2024 senior class, which included Vanessa Cantoni, Annabelle Maassen, Lauren Strange, Gabi Owczarek, Kelsie Walker, and Rita Campos.

The Eagles had one of their most balanced offensive attacks of the year, as four different attackers recorded seven kills. Martina Gonzato was Central’s most efficient hitter, hitting .375 with seven kills on 16 swings and just one attack error. 

Strange followed with seven kills on 19 attempts in addition to a block. Maassen finished hitting .278 with seven kills while also adding a service ace, nine digs, and a pair of blocks. 

Joana Milho concluded the night with seven kills, three blocks, and two digs. Walker added four kills and two blocks, while Mia Trankler chipped in three kills on four swings in addition to four blocks. 

Owczarek led the setters with 13 assists, four digs, and a service ace. Fellow setter freshman Giulia Gainelli dished out 12 assists and added seven digs and a pair of service aces. 

Campos led the defense with 11 digs. 

As a team, Central hit .278 with only 10 attack errors, compared to a .021 attack percentage for Culver-Stockton. 

With Friday’s win, CMU improves its overall record to 25-5 and 14-2 in the Heart of America.

History was made last Tuesday night as Central exacted some revenge on the Ravens, who defeated the Eagles in five sets back on October 4 in Fayette. This time, CMU swept the No. 2 team in the conference by scores of 27-25, 25-15, and 25-18.

It was a heavyweight fight in the first set, with the score even at 18-18 toward the latter stages. Central went out in front, courtesy of a kill from Joana Milho, before extending the lead to 21-18.

Benedictine tied the match at 23-23 and took the lead via a kill. However, an attack error by the Ravens, followed by a service ace from Milho, gave Central a chance at set point.

BC tied the set at 25-25 on the following point before reigning Heart Attacker of the Week Martina Gonzato registered back-to-back kills to give Central a gutsy 27-25 opening set win.

In set two, the Eagles began to assert their offensive attack, finishing the frame with a .241 hitting percentage compared to just .057 for Benedictine.

Tied at 5-5, Central went on a 13-4 scoring run over the following 17 points to take a commanding 18-9 lead. BC rattled off five consecutive points to cut the Eagles’ lead to four. But a kill from senior opposite Lauren Strange stymied the run, and Central did not relinquish a point the rest of the set, going on to win by double digits.

In set three, the Eagles found themselves trailing 10-8 before pulling out in front after scoring seven straight points. During the run, Milho tallied three service aces and a kill, in addition to kills from both Gonzato and super senior Annabelle Maassen.

The Ravens battled back to as close as four points. But Central’s high-powered offense could not be stopped. The duo of Milho and Strange closed the set and the match out with five combined kills for the win.

Milho had the most efficient night of the season thus far, registering 13 kills on 20 swings for a .550 attack percentage. The junior from Lisboa, Portugal, added 11 digs to her stat line to secure a double-double in addition to a team-best five service aces.

Gonzato continues to cruise in the latter stages of the season, finishing the night with 12 kills and seven digs. Strange added six kills, while Maassen added five kills, 11 digs, two service aces, a pair of assists, and a block.

Freshman setter Giulia Gainelli dished out a team-best 17 assists and nearly registered a double-double after tallying nine digs. Gabi Owczarek added 16 assists, six digs, and a service ace.

Senior libero Rita Campos led the defense with 14 digs to go along with five assists, while senior middle Kelsie Walker recorded a pair of blocks.

The Eagles ended the regular season Tuesday after the Advertiser went to press at Park University. Central won the first matchup between the two sides in straight sets back on October 8 in Puckett Field House.

The Heart Tournament quarterfinals begin Saturday, concluding with the conference tournament championship next Saturday, November 16.