Season Stats (PDF)

Fri., Oct. 26
Missouri Southern at Northwest, 6 p.m. | MIAA Network Stream | Live Stats
 
Sat., Oct. 27
Southwest Baptist at Northwest, 3 p.m. | MIAA Network Stream | Live Stats
 
The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team (19-6 overall, 11-3 MIAA) will close out its home portion of the regular season Friday and Saturday with matches against Missouri Southern and Southwest Baptist.
 
Friday's match at 6 p.m. in Bearcat Arena against Missouri Southern (3-21 overall, 3-11 MIAA) will feature free admission for children 12 and under that come dressed in a Halloween costume. The best dressed child will win a prize.
 
Saturday's match against Southwest Baptist (4-23 overall, 0-14 MIAA) will get underway at 3 p.m. Saturday will provide a promotion for all ages to compete in a costume contest with  a cash prize awarded to the winner.
 
Prizes and candy will be available both days because no one is too old to celebrate Halloween.
 
Northwest will honor four seniors on Saturday as they play their final home regular season match in Bearcat Arena. Head coach Amy Woerth and the Bearcat faithful will honor Maddy Bruder, Olivia Nowakowski, Sofia Schleppenbach and Megan Stilmock prior to Saturday's match against Southwest Baptist. The Bearcat senior class has helped the Northwest program with 84 overall wins and 48 MIAA victories in the last five seasons.
 
The Bearcats are closing in on the program's 15^th 20-win season in school history. It will mark only the second 20-win season since 1999. The Bearcats last 20-win campaign came in 2016 when Northwest went 22-9.
 
Northwest's 20-Win Seasons
52 – 1980
51 – 1981
46 – 1984
32 – 1982
30 – 1978
28 – 1979
27 – 1983
26 – 1994
25 – 1985, 1999
22 – 2016
21 – 1990, 1998
20 - 1996
 
The Bearcats will be looking to set the school record for MIAA victories in a season. Northwest is 11-3 in MIAA action and with its next league win would set the program mark for conference victories in a single season. Northwest won 11 MIAA matches in 2017 to set the standard.
 
MIAA Wins – Single-Season
1.  11 – 2017
     11 – 2018
3. 10 – 1999
     10 – 2010
     10 – 2016
6.   9 – 2012
7.   8 – 2011
       8 – 2014
       8 - 2015
 
While Northwest has been busy with MIAA wins, the Bearcats have also faired well on the road. Northwest has accumulated seven road victories so far this season, which ranks as the fourth-highest total in school history. The 1994 squad set the single-season mark with 10 road triumphs.
 
Most Road Wins – Single-Season
1. - 1994 - 10
2. - 1980 - 9
3. - 1999 – 8
4. – 2018 - 7
5. - 2005 - 6
       2016 - 6
       2017 - 6
8. - 1998 - 5
       1997 - 5
       1993 - 5
 
The Bearcats are one of five teams to have clinched a spot in the MIAA postseason tournament. The top eight seeds qualify for the championship, with the top four seeds hosting a quarterfinal match on Tues., Nov. 6. The semifinals and finals will then be played at the home site of the top remaining overall seed on Nov. 9-10.
 
The Bearcats are in the fourth spot in the MIAA standings heading into the matches this weekend. Washburn holds down the No. 1 spot in the league standings at 13-1. Nebraska-Kearney and Central Oklahoma are tied for second at 12-2. Northwest is No. 4 at 11-3 and Central Missouri is fifth at 10-4.
 
Northwest is receiving 31 votes in this week's AVCA NCAA Div. II Top 25 Poll. The Bearcats have top-25 wins over No. 7 Washburn and No. 15 Central Missouri.
Northwest's six losses this season have come against teams with a combined record of 129-29. The Bearcats have dropped matches to No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney (L, 3-2), No. 14 Central Oklahoma (L, 3-2), No. 15 Central Missouri (L, 3-1), No. 23 Rockhurst (L, 3-2), Colorado Mesa (L, 3-2) and Sioux Falls (L, 3-1).
 
The Bearcats are a perfect 17-0 in three-set matches this season. Northwest is 1-2 in four-set matches and 1-4 in five setters.
 
Senior Maddy Bruder (Firth, Nebraska) leads the MIAA in kills/set (4.16). Bruder is also tops in the conference in kills per set in MIAA matches only (4.18). She is the only MIAA player with more than 200 kills (209) in league play.
 
Bruder has accrued 1,568 career kills to rank No. 5 in Bearcat history and No. 5 among the NCAA Division II active career leaders.
 
Northwest's All-Time Kills List

1. Diann Davis (1994-1997)                    1,740
2. Abby Sunderman (1997-2000)           1,715
3. Jill Quast (1997-2000)                          1,715
4. MacKenzie Heston (2003-2006)         1,638
5. Maddy Bruder (2015-pres.)                1,568

 
NCAA Division II Active Career Leaders in Kills

1. Taylor Reiss (Southwest Minnesota State)    1,991
2. Chase Wessel (Holy Family)                           1,810
3. Taylor Bevic (Central Oklahoma)                    1,701
4. Courtney Place (Augustana, SD)                     1,584
5. Maddy Bruder (Northwest Missouri State)   1,568

 
Bruder ranks second on the team in digs (272). Bruder has 1,255 career digs and is ranked No. 9 on Northwest's all-time career digs chart.
 
Sophomore Maddy Ahrens (Appleton, Wisconsin) leads the MIAA in assists (11.15 overall; 11.94 MIAA only).
 
Ahrens and Bruder are tied for the team lead in double-doubles with 13 each. Ahrens has recorded a double-double in eight straight matches. Ahrens has totaled 15 career double-doubles. Bruder has 55 career double-doubles.
 
Ahrens is also tied for the team lead in service aces with Sofia Schleppenbach. The duo has each tallied 32 service aces this year.
 
Senior Olivia Nowakowski (Kansas City, Missouri) leads the team in digs (392). Nowakowski has posted four 20-plus dig efforts this season.
 
Nowakowski averaged 4.67 digs per set (56 total digs) as Northwest won two of three on the road in the MIAA. Nowakowski posted 22 digs and three assists in a five-set win at Missouri Western on Tuesday. Nowakowski added 17 digs, three assists and a service ace in a 3-0 road triumph against Lindenwood. Nowakowski chipped in with 14 digs and two assists in a 3-1 setback at No. 17 Central Missouri on Saturday.
 
Nowakowski ranks No. 3 in school history in career digs with 1,652.
 
Northwest's All-Time Digs List

1. Paige Spangenberg (2007-2010)        2,489
2. Jill Quast (1997-2000)                         1,924
3. Olivia Nowakowski (2015-pres.)        1,652
4. Jennifer Pittrich (1993-1996)             1,494
5. Tori Beckman (2010-2012)                 1,488

 
Senior Sofia Schleppenbach (Dallas, Texas) leads the MIAA in hitting percentage (.348). Schleppenbach also tops the Bearcats in blocks (76) and service aces (32). She ranks third on the squad in kills (221 – 2.54 kills/set).
 
Schleppenbach's .285 career hitting percentage would rank as the third-best percentage in school history behind Mary Beth Bishop (.307) and Abby Sunderman (.296).
 
Schleppenbach hit .333 with 10 blocks as Northwest went 2-1 in three MIAA road matches. Schleppenbach had eight kills (.312) and two blocks in a 3-2 win at Missouri Western on Tuesday. Schleppenbach added nine kills (.286) and two blocks in a 3-0 victory at Lindenwood on Friday. Schleppenbach finished the week with a season-high 16 kills (.371), six blocks and two service aces in a 3-1 loss at No. 17 Central Missouri on Saturday.
 
Sophomore Hallie Sidney (Chesterfield, Missouri) has produced 12 double-figure kill matches this season. She ranks second on the team in kills (272).
 
Senior Megan Stilmock (Omaha, Nebraska) ranks fourth on the team in digs (159). Stilmock has tallied four double-figure dig matches in 2018.