Northwest Volleyball Season Stats (PDF)

Fri., Oct. 12
Northwest at Emporia State, 6 p.m. | MIAA Network Stream | Live Stats
 
Sat., Oct. 13
Northwest at Washburn, 6 p.m. | MIAA Network Stream | Live Stats
 
The Northwest Missouri State volleyball team will begin a stretch this week that will have the Bearcats on the road for seven of the next nine matches.
 
The Bearcats (15-5 overall, 7-2 MIAA), who received 12 votes in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll, will begin the road swing with trips to Emporia State (Fri., 6 p.m.) and Washburn (Sat., 6 p.m.). Emporia State is 10-12 overall and 4-5 in MIAA play. Washburn is undefeated at 21-0 (9-0 MIAA) and ranked No. 9 in the nation.
 
The Bearcats are tied for third in the MIAA with Central Oklahoma. Northwest and UCO have 7-2 marks in MIAA play, while Washburn holds down the No. 1 spot in the league with a perfect 9-0 record. Nebraska-Kearney is in second with a league mark of 8-1.
 
Northwest's five losses this season have come against teams with a combined record of 88-18. The Bearcats have dropped matches to No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney (L, 3-2), No. 10 Rockhurst (L, 3-2), No. 17 Central Oklahoma (L, 3-2), Colorado Mesa (L, 3-2) and Sioux Falls (L, 3-1). Colorado Mesa is receiving votes in this week's AVCA top 25 poll. Northwest owns a 3-0 win over No. 16-ranked Central Missouri.
 
The Bearcats are a perfect 14-0 in three-set matches this season. Northwest is 1-1 in four-set matches and 0-4 in five setters.
 
Sophomore setter Maddy Ahrens (Appleton, Wisconsin) was named the MIAA tri-specialist of the week. Ahrens averaged 12.25 assists and 3.12 digs as Northwest went five sets vs. No. 19 Central Oklahoma and defeated Pittsburg State in three sets. Ahrens had 61 assists, 14 digs, three kills and a block against Central Oklahoma. Ahrens added 37 assists, 11 digs, four kills, a block and a service ace in the three-game sweep of the Gorillas on Saturday. Ahrens two double-doubles gives her eight double-doubles this season.
 
In MIAA play, Ahrens leads the league in assists by 1.47 more assists than the second-place spot held by UNK's Lindsey Smith. Ahrens is averaging 12.47 assists per set in MIAA matches.
 
Senior libero Olivia Nowakowski (Kansas City, Missouri) ranks No. 3 in school history in career digs with 1,569. Nowakowski leads the team in digs (309). Nowakowski has posted three 20-plus dig efforts this season, including a 22-dig performance against Central Oklahoma.
 
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.)        1,569
4. Jennifer Pittrich (1993-1996)             1,494
5. Tori Beckman (2010-2012)                 1,488

 
Senior outside hitter Maddy Bruder (Firth, Nebraska) ranks No. 15 in the nation and leads the MIAA in kills per set (4.20). In MIAA-only matches, Bruder has tallied a league-high 137 kills. Bruder is averaging a league-best 4.28 kills per set in MIAA action.
 
Bruder ranks second on the team in digs (204). Bruder has 1,187 career digs. She needs 37 more digs to crack Northwest's top-10 career digs list.
 
Bruder has posted 11 double-doubles this season and 53 in her Bearcat career.
 
Over the weekend, Bruder was credited with two double-doubles while averaging 3.88 kills per set and 3.50 digs per set. Bruder had 18 kills, 17 digs, three blocks, two assists and a service ace vs. Central Oklahoma. Bruder was credited with a match-high 13 kills to go along with 11 digs, two blocks, an assist and a service ace in a 3-0 win over Pittsburg State on Saturday.
 
Bruder has accrued 1,496 career kills to rank No. 5 in Bearcat history. Diann Davis (1994-1997) holds the Northwest career record with 1,740 kills.
 
Northwest's All-Time Kills List

1. Diann Davis (1994-1997)                    1,740
2. Abby Sunderman (1997-2000)           1,715
   Jill Quast (1997-2000)                          1,715
4. MacKenzie Heston (2003-2006)         1,638
5. Maddy Bruder (2015-pres.)                1,496

 
Senior middle hitter Sofia Schleppenbach (Dallas, Texas) ranks second in the MIAA in hitting percentage (.356) and is near the single-season school record. Mary Beth Bishop set the Northwest single-season hitting percentage mark with .366 in 1984.
 
Schleppenbach leads the Bearcats in blocks (60), service aces (27) and hitting percentage (.356). She ranks third on the squad in kills (173 – 2.47 kills/set). Schleppenbach's .281 career hitting percentage would rank as the 4^th-best percentage in school history.
 
Sophomore Hallie Sidney (Chesterfield, Missouri) has produced three double-doubles this season, including two in her last three matches. Sidney had a career-high 27 kills against Nebraska-Kearney and followed that up with 24 kills vs. Central Oklahoma. Sidney ranks second on the team in kills (214).
 
Sophomore Morgan Lewis was credited with a season-high 10 kills in Saturday's 3-0 win over Pittsburg State. Lewis had eight double-figure kill efforts as a freshman in 2017.