BOX SCORE (PDF) | SEASON STATS (PDF)

MARYVILLE, Missouri - The No. 14-ranked Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat volleyball team got the Homecoming weekend off with a 3-0 victory over the Missouri Southern State University Lions in Bearcat Arena.

Northwest won by set scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 26-24. The Bearcats improve to 16-5 overall and 9-4 in MIAA play, while the Lions drop to 12-11 overall and 5-8 in league play.

The Bearcats defeated the Lions for the 10th straight time in the sweep in front of the home crowd. Northwest hit .199, while Missouri Southern hit .136 for the match.

Northwest built a 7-3 lead in the opening set only to see Missouri Southern tie it up at 13-13. Northwest used a 5-0 spurt to take an 18-13 lead and force a MSSU timeout. The Lions would get no closer than three points the rest of the set as the Bearcats posted a 25-19 victory. The Bearcats hit .227 with a 65 percent side out effort. Junior Morgan Lewis led Northwest with four kills.

The Lions flipped the momentum at the start of the second set by taking a commanding 10-3 lead. However, Northwest rallied with a 7-0 run to level the set at 10-10 that was helped by a pair of service aces from Hallie Sidney. Following a tie at 16-16, Northwest used a 6-1 run to take a 22-17 lead. The Bearcats finished off the set with a 25-19 triumph. Sophomore Rachel Sturdevant notched six kills on 11 swings in the set. Missouri Southern hit .085 with nine kills and five errors in the second set.

The third set had a nearly identical beginning to how the second began. Missouri Southern opened up a 6-1 lead which led to a timeout from Bearcat head coach Amy Woerth. The Lions extended the margin to 8-2 and kept the lead four or more points until another timeout by Woerth with the Bearcats on the short end of a 16-11 score. Northwest scored four points in a row out of the timeout and pulled to within one at 16-15. The Lions were looking to force another set when they took a 23-19 lead. Northwest scored three in a row, but a kill by MSSU's Janelle Brehm gave the Lions a set point at 24-23. The Bearcats withstood the set point and took advantage of an attack error by MSSU's Morgan Nash that flew long beyond the baseline. Hallie Sidney followed with a kill to give Northwest a match point at 25-24. Northwest finished off the match when MSSU's CC Pollard attacked the ball from a back row position giving the final point to the Bearcats. Sidney secured a team-high five kills in the third.

Northwest will be back in action Saturday at 7 p.m. against Pittsburg State in Bearcat Arena.

NOTES: Sidney was credited with her 12th double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs ... Maddy Ahrens flirted with a triple-double with 31 assists, 14 digs and seven kills ... Sturdevant had 10 kills (.308) ... Sidney, Ahrens and Sturdevant tied for team-high honors in digs with 14 each ... senior Maggie Murphy posted 12 digs and redshirt freshman Sophie McMullen added 13 digs ... Ahrens tallied a team-high three service aces ... sophomore Bethany Elkins earned a team-best six blocks.