BOX SCORE (PDF) | SEASON STATS (PDF)

ST. JOSEPH, Missouri - The No. 14-ranked Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat volleyball team dug deep again Tuesday night and rallied for a five-set victory at Missouri Western, 3-2.

Northwest won by set scores of 26-28, 25-18, 18-25, 25-20 and 15-13. Northwest moves to 15-5 overall and 8-4 in MIAA play, while Missouri Western drops to 11-8 overall and 5-6 in league action.

Bearcat junior Hallie Sidney powered the victory with some 20/20 play. Sidney recorded 22 kills and 23 digs - Northwest's first 20-20 match since Maddy Bruder had 26 kills and 20 digs in a Nov. 2, 2017 match vs. Missouri Southern.

Missouri Western went a little overtime in the opening set and pulled out a 28-26 win on its home floor. Despite falling in the set, Northwest did not have an attack error in 51 swings. Northwest had 14 kills and hit .275 while siding out at 82 percent. The Griffons hit .258 with 25 kills and eight errors with a sideout effort of 80 percent. The first set featured 15 ties and three lead changes.

Northwest evened up the match at 1-1 with a convincing 25-18 second-set triumph. The Bearcats ratcheted up the defense and forced the Griffons to hit -.061 in the second set. The Griffons had seven kills and nine attack errors. Northwest hit .086 with 11 kills and sided out at 55 percent.

The Griffons gained the upper hand in the third with a 25-18 victory to take a 2-1 lead. The Griffons nailed 17 kills against three errors (.275) and sided out at 77 percent. Northwest hit .157 with a 56-percent side out effort. Head coach Amy Woerth changed setters late in the third set and inserted freshman Alyssa Rezac onto the floor.

With their backs against the wall, the No. 14-ranked Bearcats came out swinging in the fourth. Rezac started the fourth set and guided the Bearcats to a 25-20 win. Northwest hit .190 with 14 kills and six errors. The Bearcats sided out at 69 percent in the fourth. Missouri Western hit .091 with nine kills and six errors, while siding out at 47 percent.

The fifth set featured 10 ties and four lead changes. Missouri Western took a 12-10 lead before Woerth called timeout. Following the timeout, Northwest tallied two straight points and leveled the decisive set at 12-12. Despite a service error that gave Missouri Western its final lead of the match, Northwest responded with a 3-0 run to close it out. Sidney got the final kill as a Griffon dig attempt hit the scoreboard and bounced to the floor giving Northwest a 15-13 victory. Northwest hit .280 with 10 kills and three errors in the fifth. Missouri Western hit .200 with eight kills and three errors. Sidney had a team-high five kills in the fifth set.

Northwest is 5-2 in five-set matches in 2019, including a pair of 3-2 triumphs over Missouri Western.

The Bearcats will return home for matches in Bearcat Arena against Missouri Southern (Friday, 6 p.m.) and Pittsburg State (Saturday, 7 p.m.).

NOTES: Morgan Lewis added 11 kills and four blocks ... Maddy Ahrens had 29 assists and freshman Alyssa Rezac posted 17 assists ... Sophie McMullen contributed with three service aces ... Genny Cruz provided a spark with a season-high nine kills.