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By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. - The Northwest Missouri State volleyball team quickly rebounded from its second loss of the season with an impressive 25-14, 28-26, 25-19 victory over Emporia State Saturday evening at Bearcat Arena.
 
"Obviously, we haven't lost a lot, but every time we have, we have come back the next night and done a nice job," Northwest coach Amy Woerth said. "When you lose on a Friday, you get an opportunity to win on Saturday and get the taste out of your mouth. I am proud they went after it and got it done in three."
 
The win lifted Northwest to 19-2 overall and 7-2 in the MIAA and prevented the Bearcats from losing two matches in a row this season.
 
"It was really important for us to come out and just show dominance and show we are not going to fold because of something last night," said sophomore Maddy Bruder. "Last night was really good, but we knew we had to come back sharper against Emporia because we knew they were going to bring it."
 
Northwest concluded the third set in as impressive form as it started. Trailing 14-13, senior Jackie Becker got the Bearcats rolling with a kill. Northwest went ahead 15-14 and either stayed ahead or tied the rest of the way.
 
Once the Bearcats built a 20-17 lead in the third set, the match was basically over because of the crisp way they were hitting the ball. The match ended on back-to-back kills by Bruder, who finished with 10 kills.
 
On the hitting end, it was a very balanced attack. Senior Miranda Foster led the way with 14 kills. Becker had nine kills, junior Alexis Williams added eight and junior Darcy Sunderman had five. And doing a great job setting up the hitters was junior setter Sarah Dannettell with a match-high 44 assists.
 
Defensively, sophomore Olivia Nowakowski had 21 digs, Foster had 11 and Bruder had 10.
 
"This was really good," Becker said. "We did scouting this morning and bouncing back was our focus today. I think it shows a lot about our team that we can take a few hits and bounce back right away."
 
After giving up the first two points of the match, the Bearcats boomed their way to 25-14 first set win.
 
Bruder said the Bearcats came out swinging.
 
"They played really well," Woerth said. "We sided out 75 percent and almost hit .400. From the standpoint of what we were doing, it was some of the best volleyball we can play.
 
"We just have to be consistent. I don't think we can play at that high a level every time, but I think for our improvement, we have to continue to be good throughout the match."
 
Northwest quickly took control of the first set on the serving of Dannettell. During her serve, the Bearcats went from a 2-1 deficit to a 6-2 lead. In that run, Sunderman had a nice kill that gave Northwest a 4-2 lead.
 
The biggest hitter in the first set was Foster, who had seven kills. One of her kills put the Bearcats up 21-11. As well as Foster was striking the ball, Emporia State couldn't focus all its attention on her. Sunderman had four kills in the first set, Williams had three and Northwest's leading hitter, Bruder, had two.
 
"It is a good feeling when we are rolling on all six cylinders," Becker said. "That is something we are working on, trying to stay consistent throughout the whole match."
 
Northwest showed its clutch gene in a competitive second set. The Bearcats jumped to a 13-8 lead before the Hornets fought back and closed to 13-12. A kill by Bruder stopped the run.
 
Emporia State scored the next two points and tied the set at 14-14. It remained close the rest of the way. Emporia State went ahead 23-22. The Bearcats scored the next two points for a set point at 24-23.
 
The Hornets responded by scoring the next two points for a set point. A kill by Williams tied the set at 25-25. Emporia State scored the next point and again was in position to win the set.
 
And once again, Northwest forged a tie at 26-26, and this time they put the set away with kills from Foster and then Becker.
 
"I think their confidence shows through," Woerth said. "For us being in really tight situations earlier in the season and being able to pull them out, it is just who we are now."