Northwest Volleyball Season Stats (PDF)

The No. 19-ranked Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team (19-7 overall, 12-6 MIAA) will wrap up the regular season at Bearcat Arena Friday and Saturday against Washburn and Emporia State.
 
Friday, Nov. 15
6 p.m., #3 Washburn at #19 Northwest – LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
Saturday, Nov. 16
6 p.m., Emporia State at #19 Northwest – LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
Northwest will honor four seniors prior to Saturday's final home regular season match vs. Emporia State. The Bearcats will recognize Genny Cruz (Morrison, Colorado), Briley Downing (Nashua, Iowa), Maggie Murphy (Chicago, Illinois) and Jordyn Musselman (Topeka, Kansas). This senior class has helped Northwest capture 80 victories, including 47 triumphs in MIAA play.
 
All eight spots have been locked up for the teams in the 2019 MIAA Tournament. Northwest will either be the No. 3 or No. 4 seed for the MIAA Tournament which will take place Nov. 21-23 at Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. Northwest needs two victories and two losses by Central Missouri to have a shot at the No. 3 seed. Northwest enters the weekend holding the No. 4 seed in the MIAA volleyball standings.
 
Washburn has won nine straight matches heading into Friday's matchup with Northwest in Bearcat Arena. The Ichabods are 24-2 overall and 16-2 in league play. Both of Washburn's losses have come against No. 2-ranked Nebraska-Kearney. Northwest and Washburn played a five-set match in Topeka, Kansas, on Oct. 19, with the Ichabods prevailing 15-7 in the fifth.
 
Emporia State is one of three conference teams that did not qualify for MIAA Tournament. The Hornets are 6-20 overall and 3-15 in league play. The Bearcats went the distance in Emporia, Kansas, when the squads met on Oct. 18. Northwest rallied from a 2-0 deficit and notched a 15-10 triumph in the fifth.
 
Northwest is closing in on its 16^th 20-win season in program history. Northwest is 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. Northwest captured 22 wins 2018 and the Bearcats enter the final weekend of the regular season with 19 victories.
 
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, 2018
21 – 1990, 1998
20 - 1996
 
Northwest's 12 MIAA wins are the second-most league wins in program history. Last season, Northwest registered a school-record 14 MIAA victories. Each of the last three seasons, Northwest has produced the three-highest MIAA win totals in school history with 11 in 2017, 14 in 2018 and 12 so far in 2019.
 
Northwest's MIAA Wins – Single Season
1. 14 – 2018
2. 12 – 2019
3. 11 – 2017
4. 10 – 1999
    10 – 2010
    10 – 2016
7. 8 – 2011
    8 – 2014
    8 – 2015
 
Northwest has fared quite well away from Bearcat Arena this season posting a mark of 14-4 in road/neutral matches. Northwest is 7-4 on the road and a perfect 7-0 in neutral court matches. The Bearcats earned their seventh road victory of the season with a 3-0 win at Newman this past Friday. The seven road wins are the fifth-best single-season mark in program history. The Bearcats have won 15 road matches in the last two seasons – the highest two-year road success mark in program history.
 
Most Road Wins – Single-Season
1. - 1994 - 10
2. - 1980 - 9
3. - 1999 - 8
      2018 - 8
5. - 2019 – 6
6. - 2005 - 6
       2016 - 6
       2017 - 6
9. - 1993 - 5
       1997 - 5
       1998 - 5
 
Northwest is 6-2 in five-set matches in 2019. It's the most five-set wins in a season for the Bearcats since going 7-1 in 1990. Northwest also went 6-2 in five-setters in 1998.
 
Most Five-Set Wins – Single-Season
1. – 1990 – 7 (7-1)
2. – 1998 – 6 (6-2)
       2019 – 6 (6-2)
3. – 1997 – 5 (5-4)
       2005 – 5 (5-2)
       2016 – 5 (5-5)
 
On Oct. 19, 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.
 
Northwest's seven losses this season have come against teams with a combined record of 97-33.
 
Northwest dropped to No. 19 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll. It marks the 19th 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
Oct. 28, 2019 – No. 14
Nov. 4, 2019 – No. 14
Nov. 11, 2019 – No. 19
 
Northwest is 4-4 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)
L, 3-1 at #2 Nebraska-Kearney (Nov. 1)
 
Northwest Opponents Ranked in This Week's AVCA Top 25
#2 Nebraska-Kearney (L, 3-1; L, 3-1)
#3 Washburn (L, 3-2; Nov. 15)
#7 Northern State (W, 3-1)
#10 Central Missouri (W, 3-1; L, 3-0)
RV Central Oklahoma (L, 3-0; L, 3-1)
RV Central Washington (W, 3-0)
 
Junior Maddy Ahrens (Appleton, Wisconsin) leads the squad in assists (991) and service aces (33). Ahrens ranks No. 4 in the MIAA in assists per set (10.32). Ahrens has posted 10 double-doubles in 2019. Ahrens recorded a season-best 58 assists in Northwest's 3-2 victory over Missouri Western (Sept. 18). She narrowly missed a triple-double in a 3-0 win over Missouri Southern with seven kills, 31 assists and 14 digs (Oct. 25). Ahrens ranks No. 6 in Northwest history with 2,573 career assists. Ahrens earned all-tournament team honors at the Washburn Invitational. Ahrens has captured the MIAA Specialist of the Week award four times in 2019.
 
Northwest Career Assists
1. Jennifer Pittrich – 5,428 (1993-1996)
2. Megan Danek – 5,064 (1999-2002)
3. Sarah Dannettell – 3,949 (2014-2017)
4. Laira Akin – 3,600 (2009-2011)
5. Abby Wilms – 3,104 (1997-1998)
6. Maddy Ahrens – 2,573 (2017-2019)
 
Northwest Assists by a Junior
1. Jennifer Pittrich – 1,456 (1995)
2. Laira Akin – 1,243 (2011)
3. Sarah Dannettell – 1,136 (2016)
4. Megan Danek – 1,133 (2001)
5. Maddy Ahrens – 991 (2019)
 
Junior Hallie Sidney (Chesterfield, Missouri) leads the MIAA in kills (397) and kills per set (4.09). Sidney's 4.09 kills per set is outdistancing Washburn's Genna Berg, who ranks second in the league at 3.72 kills per set. Sidney earned her fifth MIAA hitter of the week award after posting back-to-back double-doubles against Newman and Central Oklahoma. She averaged 4.71 kills and 3.86 digs against the Jets and Bronchos. Sidney recorded 22 kills and a career-high 23 digs in a five-set win at Missouri Western (Oct. 22) - Northwest's first 20-20 match since Maddy Bruder had 26 kills and 20 digs in a Nov. 2, 2017 match vs. Missouri Southern. Sidney has reached double-figure kill totals in 23 of her 25 matches. Sidney has generated six 20-plus kill matches in 2019. Sidney has tallied a team-best 16 double-doubles, including five in her last six matches. 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.
 
Northwest Attacks by a Junior
1. Sarah Trowbridge – 1,505 (2005)
2. Maddy Bruder – 1,336 (2017)
3. Hallie Sidney – 1,250 (2019)
4. Kathy Lauherr – 1,142 (1989)
5. Tami Lichtas – 1,022 (1994)
 
Northwest Kills by a Junior
1. Sarah Trowbridge – 489 (2005)
2. Maddy Bruder – 446 (2017)
3. Diann Davis – 431 (1996)
4. Nancy Pfeifler – 414 (1987)
5. Hallie Sidney – 397 (2019)
 
Sophomore Bethany Elkins (Belton, Missouri) ranks No. 2 in the MIAA in blocks per set (1.02). Elkins has totaled 95 blocks on the season. Elkins ranks No. 4 in the MIAA in hitting percentage (.332). Elkins has 220 kills (2.37 kills/set) this season. Elkins hit .643 with nine kills in 14 swings in a 3-0 win at Newman. 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 (73) and kills (280). Lewis possesses a .293 hitting percentage on the season. Lewis has posted 15 double-figure kill totals. Lewis hit .471 with nine kills in a 3-0 win at Newman. 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 392 digs (3.88 digs/set). She is second on the squad in service aces (29). 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 matched her 30 digs in four sets again in a rematch with No. 2-ranked Nebraska-Kearney (Nov. 1). Koechl served up a season-high six aces in a 3-1 win at Pittsburg State. Koechl has posted six 20-or more dig performances this season.
 
Northwest Digs by a Sophomore
1. Paige Spangenberg – 654 (2008)
2. Olivia Nowakowski – 540 (2016)
3. Heather Potts – 406 (1994)
4. Jill Quast – 405 (1998)
5. Hannah Koechl – 397 (2019)
 
Sophomore Rachel Sturdevant (Kansas City, Missouri) ranks No. 2 on the team in digs (290; 2.99 digs/set). Sturdevant secured a career-high 24 digs in a three-set match vs. Central Oklahoma (Oct. 11). Sturdevant has produced four double-doubles.
 
Senior Genny Cruz (Morrison, Colorado) registered a career-high 12 kills in Northwest's 3-2 win at Fort Hays State (Nov. 2). Cruz hit .276 and added five digs to go along with four blocks (one solo) in the five-set triumph in Hays, Kansas. Cruz has seen action in 19 matches and 56 sets. She has 77 kills, 40 digs and 24 blocks on the season.
 
Freshman Jaden Ferguson (Lincoln, Nebraska) has produced three double-figure kill totals this season. She recorded a season-high 19 kills at Pittsburg State (Sept. 27). Ferguson has played in 23 matches and 76 sets. She has posted 130 kills, 117 digs, 23 blocks and 11 service aces.
 
Senior Maggie Murphy (Chicago, Illinois) has tallied 104 digs on the season as a defensive specialist.
 
Freshman Alyssa Rezac (Wahoo, Nebraska) came in off the bench and helped lead Northwest to a five-set win at Fort Hays State (Nov. 2). Rezac played four sets and added 14 assists and four digs. She also came in as a setter off the bench during the third set of Northwest's five-set victory at Missouri Western. Rezac accumulated 17 assists and led Northwest to a come-from-behind win in St. Joseph. Rezac also tallied two kills against the Griffons. Rezac has seen action in 15 matches and 41 sets in 2019.
 
Freshman Sydney McDermott (Omaha, Nebraska) has played in 14 matches and 35 sets. She has accumulated 28 kills (.323) and 15 blocks on the season.
 
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 sixth 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 133 career victories, trailing only Sarah Pelster (1991-2002) with 199 wins and Pam Stanek (1977-1981) with 176 triumphs.