SEASON STATS (PDF)

The No. 14-ranked Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team (14-5 overall, 7-4 MIAA) will begin the week with a short trip to St. Joseph, Missouri, and a Tuesday night matchup at Missouri Western.
 
Tuesday, Oct. 22
7 p.m., #14 Northwest at Missouri Western – LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
Northwest is in a tie for fourth place with Central Oklahoma in the MIAA standings – trailing Nebraska-Kearney (11-0), Washburn (9-2) and Central Missouri (8-3). All three teams above Northwest in the MIAA standings are ranked in the top 10 in the latest AVCA top 25 poll.
 
Northwest posted a five-set win over Missouri Western when the squads met in Maryville on Sept. 18. The Bearcats won the first two sets before the Griffons rallied to force a fifth set. Northwest closed out the Griffons with a 15-10 win in the fifth. Hallie Sidney powered the Bearcats with 23 kills in the victory.
 
Missouri Western sits at 5-5 in league play and 11-7 overall. The Griffons five league wins have come against Emporia State (3-2), Pittsburg State (3-0), Missouri Southern (3-1), Fort Hays State (3-0) and Newman (3-0).
 
Northwest leads the MIAA in team blocks per set (1.98). Sophomore Bethany Elkins ranks No. 1 in the MIAA in blocks per set (1.05).
 
Last Friday night, Northwest rallied from an 2-0 deficit to score a five-set win at Emporia State. It was the first time since Sept. 3, 2016 vs. Maryville University, that Northwest was able to rally from a two-set deficit and come back to win a match. Prior to the ESU win, the last time Northwest rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win an MIAA match came Nov. 15, 2013, vs. Southwest Baptist in Maryville.
 
The Bearcats are 4-2 in five-set matches in 2019. Prior to this season, Northwest had lost 15 of its previous 17 five-set matches.
 
Northwest remained at No. 14 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll. It marks the 16th time in program history that Northwest has been ranked in the AVCA top 25.

Northwest in AVCA Top 25
Sept. 19, 2016 – No. 22
Sept. 26, 2016 – No. 20
Oct. 3, 2016 – No. 18
Oct. 10, 2016 – No. 17
Oct. 17, 2016 – No. 17
Oct. 24, 2016 – No. 16
Oct. 31, 2016 – No. 21
Nov. 7, 2016 – No. 25
Nov. 14, 2016 – No. 25
Sept. 9, 2019 – No. 18
Sept. 16, 2019 – No. 15
Sept. 23, 2019 – No. 11
Sept. 30, 2019 – No. 10
Oct. 7, 2019 – No. 10
Oct. 14, 2019 – No. 14
Oct. 21, 2019 – No. 14
 
Northwest is 4-3 in matches this season against ranked opponents. The Bearcats scored a 3-1 win at No. 12-ranked Central Missouri on Sept. 21. Northwest knocked off No. 7-ranked Northern State in four sets at the Drury Invitational. Northwest began the season by defeating No. 23 Central Washington (3-0) and No. 18 Drury (3-2) at the Washburn Invitational. No. 4-ranked Nebraska-Kearney scored a 3-1 win over Northwest at Bearcat Arena on Oct. 5.
 
Northwest vs. Ranked Foes in 2019
W, 3-0 vs. #23 Central Washington (Sept. 6)
W, 3-2 vs. #18 Drury (Sept. 7)
W, 3-1 vs. #7 Northern State (Sept. 13)
W, 3-1 at #12 Central Missouri (Sept. 21)
L, 3-1 vs. #4 Nebraska-Kearney (Oct. 5)
L, 3-0 vs. #9 Central Missouri (Oct. 15)
L, 3-2 at #4 Washburn (Oct. 19)
 
Northwest Opponents Ranked in This Week's AVCA Top 25
#2 Nebraska-Kearney (L, 3-1; Nov. 1)
#3 Washburn (L, 3-2; Nov. 15)
#3 Northern State (W, 3-1)
#10 Central Missouri (W, 3-1; L, 3-0)
RV Central Oklahoma (L, 3-0; Nov. 9)
 
Junior Maddy Ahrens (Appleton, Wisconsin) leads the squad in assists (807) and service aces (26). Ahrens ranks No. 2 in the MIAA in assists per set (10.91). Ahrens has posted seven double-doubles in 2019. Ahrens recorded a season-best 58 assists in Northwest's 3-2 victory over Missouri Western (Sept. 18). Ahrens ranks No. 7 in Northwest history with 2,389 career assists. Ahrens is 52 assists away from moving up to No. 6 and passing Katie Swenson, who earned 2,441 assists in 2007 and 2008. Ahrens earned all-tournament team honors at the Washburn Invitational. Ahrens has captured the MIAA Specialist of the Week award four times in 2019.
 
Junior Hallie Sidney (Chesterfield, Missouri) leads the MIAA in kills (287) and kills per set (4.10). Sidney's 4.10 kills per set is outdistancing Washburn's Genna Berg, who ranks second in the league at 3.75 kills per set. Sidney has reached double-figure kill totals in 16 of her 18 matches. Sidney has generated five 20-plus kill matches in 2019. Sidney has tallied a team-best 10 double-doubles. Sidney set a career-high with 21 digs in a four-set loss to Nebraska-Kearney (Oct. 5). Sidney notched a season-best 23 kills in Northwest's 3-2 win over Missouri Western (Sept. 18). Sidney was named to the all-tournament teams at the Drury Invitational and the Washburn Invitational. Sidney is a three-time MIAA Hitter of the Week award winner in 2019.
 
Sophomore Bethany Elkins (Belton, Missouri) ranks No. 1 in the MIAA in blocks per set (1.05). Elkins has totaled 69 blocks on the season. Elkins ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in hitting percentage (.354). Elkins has 170 kills (2.58 kills/set) this season. Elkins tied a career-high with nine blocks vs. Nebraska-Kearney. Elkins tallied a career-high 24 kills and hit .526 in Northwest's 3-2 win over Truman State. Elkins has nine double-figure kill performances this season after posting two in 2018.
 
Junior Morgan Lewis (Overland Park, Kansas) ranks second on the team in blocks (54) and kills (214). Lewis possesses a .325 hitting percentage on the season. Lewis has posted 13 double-figure kill totals. Lewis tallied a season-best 16 kills vs. Drury (Sept. 7). She posted a season-high seven blocks in a 3-1 win vs. Quincy. Lewis was named to the all-tournament team at the Drury Invitational.
 
Sophomore transfer Hannah Koechl (Innsbruck, Austria/Boise State) leads the team with 267 digs (3.61 digs/set). She is second on the squad in service aces (24). Koechl posted the eighth-best four-set dig total in school history with a career-high 30 digs in a four-set match vs. No. 4-ranked Nebraska-Kearney (Oct. 5). Koechl served up a season-high six aces in a 3-1 win at Pittsburg State. Koechl has posted five 20-or more dig performances this season.
 
Sophomore Rachel Sturdevant (Kansas City, Missouri) posted 30 kills and hit .361 over the past week. She averaged 2.31 kills/set and 2.23 digs/set as Northwest went 1-2 with both losses to top-10 ranked MIAA opponents. Sturdevant had seven kills (.467), nine digs and two blocks against the Jennies. She posted eight kills, nine digs and three blocks in a five-set win at Emporia State on Friday. Sturdevant wrapped up the weekend with 15 kills, 11 digs, three assists, two blocks and a service ace in a five-set setback at Washburn. Sturdevant ranks No. 2 on the team in digs (223; 3.23 digs/set). Sturdevant secured a career-high 24 digs in a three-set match vs. Central Oklahoma (Oct. 11).
 
Freshman Emmy Grant (Omaha, Nebraska) made her 2019 season debut against Central Oklahoma and Newman. Grant had a block assist against UCO (Oct. 11). Grant tallied four kills and three blocks in a 3-0 win over Newman (Oct. 12). Grant made her first career start vs. No. 9-ranked Central Missouri and posted four kills and a block.
 
For the sixth consecutive year and 13th time overall, the Bearcat volleyball team earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award. Northwest also tallied the AVCA Team Academic Award Honor Roll for the third straight year with a GPA ranked among the top-25 NCAA Division II schools. The Bearcat volleyball team recorded a 3.75 cumulative team grade point average during the 2018-19 season under the direction of head coach Amy Woerth. Northwest is one of 141 NCAA Division II schools to gain the AVCA Team Academic Award this year.
 
Eighth-year head coach Amy Woerth is looking to guide the Bearcats to an improvement in the MIAA standings for the seventh straight season. Woerth, who was named the 2018 MIAA Coach of the Year, and the Bearcats set a program record with 14 MIAA wins in 2018.
 
2013 – 9^th, 6-10 in MIAA
2014 – 7^th, 8-14 in MIAA
2015 – 7^th, 8-10 in MIAA
2016 – 6^th, 10-8 in MIAA
2017 – 5^th, 11-7 in MIAA
2018 – 4^th, 14-4 MIAA
 
Woerth ranks No. 3 in Bearcat coaching history with 128 career victories, trailing only Sarah Pelster (1991-2002) with 199 wins and Pam Stanek (1977-1981) with 176 triumphs.
 
The Bearcats registered 22 wins last season, their 15th 20-win campaign in program history. Northwest will be looking for back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1999. The Bearcats had 25 wins in 1999 after notching 21 wins in 1998.