The No. 15-ranked Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team will open its home season Wednesday against Missouri Western.
 
The Bearcats and Griffons will meet at 7 p.m. in Bearcat Arena for Aloha Volleyball Night. Free popsicles and Hawaiian leis will be available for all attendees while supplies last.
 
Northwest will continue MIAA action Saturday at Central Missouri. The Bearcats and Jennies will tangle at 3 p.m. in Warrensburg, Missouri, in a matchup of ranked teams. Central Missouri is ranked No. 12 in the latest AVCA poll. Northwest and Central Missouri are two of the four MIAA teams ranked in the top 25. Washburn is ranked No. 3 and Central Oklahoma is tied for No. 6 in the latest poll.
 
Wed., Sept. 18
7 p.m., Missouri Western at #15 Northwest – LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
Sat., Sept. 21
3 p.m., #15 Northwest at #12 Central Missouri – LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

Northwest is ranked No. 15 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll. It is the highest ranking in the program's history. The previous best of No. 16 came on Oct. 24, 2016. It marks the 11th 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
 
The Bearcats will face one ranked opponent this weekend, No. 7 Northern State, at the Drury Invitational. The Bearcats will have 12 matches this season against foes ranked in the preseason top 25.
 
Northwest Opponents Ranked in This Week's AVCA Top 25
#3 Washburn (Oct. 19, Nov. 15)
#6 Nebraska-Kearney (Oct. 5, Nov. 1)
#8 Northern State (W, 3-1)
#12 Central Missouri (Sept. 21, Oct. 15)
 
Northwest is 3-0 in matches this season against ranked opponents. Northwest knocked off No. 7-ranked Northern State in four sets last Friday 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.
 
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)
 
Junior Hallie Sidney (Chesterfield, Missouri) has been credited with a team-best 129 kills and four double-doubles. Sidney has reached double figures in kills in seven of the eight matches this season. Sidney has recorded at least nine kills in every match in 2019. Sidney was named to the all-tournament teams at the Drury Invitational and the Washburn Invitational.
 
Junior Maddy Ahrens (Appleton, Wisconsin) leads the team in assists (332). Ahrens has posted two double-doubles in 2019. Ahrens posted season-highs of 55 assists and 14 digs in Northwest's 3-2 triumph over Truman State. Ahrens ranks No. 10 in Northwest history with 1,913 career assists. Ahrens earned all-tournament team honors at the Washburn Invitational.
 
Sophomore Bethany Elkins (Belton, Missouri) is leading the squad in hitting percentage (.395). Elkins has 91 kills and only 18 attack errors on 185 swings. Elkins tallied a career-high 24 kills and hit .526 in Northwest's 3-2 win over Truman State. Elkins has five double-figure kill performances this season after posting two in 2018. Elkins ranks second on the squad in blocks (26).
 
Junior Morgan Lewis (Overland Park, Kansas) leads the team in blocks (27). Lewis ranks third on the team in kills (89) and possesses a .335 hitting percentage. Lewis has posted five double-figure kill totals in 2019. Lewis was named to the all-tournament team at the Drury Invitational.
 
Sophomore transfer Hannah Koechl (Innsbruck, Austria/Boise State) has been credited with a team-best 10 service aces. Koechl secured a season-high 23 digs vs. Truman State. Koechl ranks second on the team in digs (78).
 
Freshman Jaden Ferguson (Lincoln, Nebraska) has posted a team-best 82 digs. Ferguson notched a season-high 21 digs vs. Truman State. Ferguson has registered three double-figure dig matches in 2019.
 
Freshman Sydney McDermott (Omaha, Nebraska) made her Bearcat debut against No. 7-ranked Northern State. McDermott tallied five blocks against the Wolves as Northwest scored a 3-1 win.
 
The Bearcats recorded 13 team blocks in a four-set win vs. Quincy. It tied for the most blocks in a match by the Bearcats in the last three seasons. The last time Northwest had at least 13 blocks in a match came last season vs. Nebraska-Kearney (Sept. 29, 2018), when the Bearcats also tallied 13 team blocks.
 
Northwest is 3-0 in three-set matches this season. Northwest was a perfect 20-0 in three-set matches in 2018.
 
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 121 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.