Northwest Missouri State University volleyball head coach Amy Woerth has announced the signing of five student-athletes for the 2020 Bearcat roster.
 
Abby Brunssen is a 6'0" right side/outside hitter from Atkins, Iowa. Brunssen set a school record with 1,129 career kills at Benton Community High School for head coach Mike Embretson. She earned second-team all-state honors from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association in 2019. Brunssen was named the WaMaC West Player of the Year in 2019 after posting 465 kills (4.56 kills/set). She added 404 career digs and 253 career blocks as a prep. She was a unanimous first-team all-conference honoree as a senior. Brunssen was a second-team all-conference selection in 2017 and 2018 after notching honorable mention all-conference status as a freshman. She is a member of National Honor Society. She is a two-time academic all-conference honoree with a 3.50 GPA or higher while competing in a varsity sport. She is the daughter of Darin and Catherine Brunssen.
 
Olivia Dir is a 5'10" outside hitter from Sturtevant, Wisconsin. Dir helped lead Union Grove High School to its first trip to the state tournament in 34 years with a fifth-place finish in 2019 for head coach Annie Sireno. Dir is a three-time all-state selection. She set the Union Grove career kill mark with 1,590 kills. She posted 1,326 digs, 277 service aces, 89 blocks and had a .378 attack percentage. She is a four-time all-conference pick as she earned honorable mention status as a freshman, second-team honors as a sophomore and junior and then then posted first-team honors as a senior. Dir is an honor roll student and a four-year WVCA all-academic award winner. She is the daughter of Ron and Theresa Dir.
 
Kristen Ford is a 5'4" libero/defensive specialist from Gladstone, Missouri. Ford earned all-state honors as a senior at St. Teresa's Academy for head coach Lauren Adair. Ford earned a spot on the Under Armour All-America watch list and was named a 2019 Missouri-Kansas All-Star. Ford secured first-team all-district honors in both 2018 and 2019. She ranks fourth at St. Teresa's in all-time digs (907). She holds the No. 2 single-season digs mark (440 in 2018). She also ranked second in single-season service aces (33 in 2017) and career service aces (80). She earned academic all-state in volleyball in 2018 and 2019. She is the daughter of Jeff and Lindy Ford.
 
Payton Kirchhoefer is a 5'10" outside hitter from Omaha, Nebraska. Kirchhoefer posted 300 kills as a senior at Marian High School for head coach Amy McLeay. She hit. 291 with 272 digs in 86 sets as a senior. Kirchhoefer is a member of National Honor Society and Spanish honors society. She is an honor roll student. She is the daughter of Dave and Kari Kirchhoefer.
 
Kyah Luhring is a 5'6" libero from Grundy Center, Iowa. Luhring will compete in volleyball and track & field for the Bearcats. Luhring earned IGCA third-state all-state Class 2A honors in 2019 for the Grundy Center High School Spartans. She helped lead her team to a 32-9 record and a trip to the state tournament in 2019 for head coach Lori Willis. Luhring played 104 sets with 231 kills (2.2 kills/set), 410 digs (3.94 digs/set), 36 service aces and 23 blocks as a senior. She compiled 1,480 career digs to go along with 231 kills, 135 service aces and 220 assists. Luhring is a 12-time state track qualifier and a 10-time state medalist in track. She ran 12.85 in the 100m, 26.49 in the 200m and jumped 17'7" in the long jump. She also earned honorable mention all-state status in softball. She is the daughter of Kurt and Angela Luhring.
 
The Bearcat volleyball team is coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in 20 years. Northwest earned a program-best No. 10 national ranking in 2019 en route to a 21-9 overall mark.
 
Name                          Ht.       Pos.     Hometown/High School
Abby Brunssen            6'0"     RS/OH Atkins, Iowa/Benton Community
Olivia Dir                     5'10"   OH       Sturtevant, Wisconsin/Union Grove
Kristen Ford                5'4"     L/DS    Gladstone, Missouri/St. Teresa's Academy
Payton Kirchhoefer     5'10"   OH       Omaha, Nebraska/Marian
Kyah Luhring               5'6"     L          Grundy Center, Iowa/Grundy Center