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By David Boyce

JOPLIN, Mo. - Next gear, next gear, Northwest Missouri State volleyball coach Amy Woerth said to her players midway through the second set Saturday afternoon at Missouri Southern.
 
"Yes, I heard her," said Northwest sophomore outside hitter Maddy Bruder, who finished with a game-high 15 kills.
 
It was irrelevant that Northwest already claimed the first set 25-17 and was leading 18-10 in the second set. Woerth wanted to make sure the Bearcats didn't lose their intensity.
 
"You got to shut the door," Woerth said. "When we get to the upper half, 15 to 25, we have to be better than what we were. That is what next gear means to me."
 
On the next play, Bruder smashed a kill into the middle of the court for a point. Northwest went on to take the second set 25-12 and then finished off Missouri Southern 25-17 in the third set.
 
"You get to that point that, yes, we are ahead, but don't get complacent," Bruder said of Woerth's in-game instruction. "We have to find that next level of intensity, that next level power with our frontcourt and backcourt. We have to go after teams and not let them get that breath of hope whether it is in that set or the set to come."
 
The victory solidified Northwest's No. 22 ranking in the AVCA Coaches top 25. The Bearcats improved to 14-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA. They have now won their last 11 sets.
 
"This shows we can be road tough," said Northwest senior Miranda Foster about winning the first two conference games on the road. "We kind of knew going in we had to focus because we have been getting a lot of hype about our ranking and being undefeated. We like to take it game by game.
 
"We want to just stay focused on our game plan and understand what our coaches have prepared us for and take care of business."
 
In the three-set win on Saturday, Northwest was surgical in how it took apart the Lions. It started early with a kill by junior Alexis Williams that gave Northwest a slim 2-1 lead.
 
A kill by Bruder help Northwest build a 10-6 cushion. The Lions scored the next three. Northwest took control by winning six of the next seven points for a 16-10 lead. The first set concluded with a Bruder kill.
 
Other than a 1-0 lead by Southern in the second set, the Bearcats took control early, received a verbal boost from Woerth and easily won the second set. It ended on a service winner by sophomore Olivia Nowakowski.
 
"Volleyball is a huge mental game," Nowakowski said. "When we can take what they are giving us and shove it back down their throats, that is a big focus for us."
 
Once again, the Lions took a 1-0 lead in the third set and managed to increase it to 3-1. Northwest calmly moved ahead 7-4 and never trailed again. At one point, Northwest held a 17-9 lead.
 
Simply put, it was a dominating performance by the Bearcats in a road conference match. Northwest only need a little more than an hour to get the win.
 
Throughout the match, the Bearcats were in sync. The communication was near flawless. There were no balls falling in the middle of the court with the players staring at each other. The points Southern got were earned, especially in the second and third sets when Northwest eliminated most of their service errors.
 
"Being in sync is huge, especially since we are so early in the season," Nowakowski said. "Being able to take it in three and work on what we need to do as a team, it really helps us."
 
Northwest passed its first MIAA test of the season. The Bearcats won at Southwest Baptist on Friday and Southern on Saturday.
 
"It is really exciting," Bruder said. "It shows we don't have to be at home to get that home feel. We can make any gym our home if we come out with the energy, enthusiasm and intensity."