Thursday, Dec. 2
No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney vs. No. 3 Northwest Missouri State, 12 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
No. 7 Concordia-St. Paul vs. No. 2 St. Cloud State, 2:30 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
No. 8 Arkansas Tech vs. No. 1 Central Missouri, 5 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
No. 5 Washburn vs. No. 4 Winona State, 7:30 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
Friday, Dec. 3
Winner Match One vs. Winner Match Two, 5 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO
Winner Match Three vs. Winner Match Four, 7:30 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO
 
Saturday, Dec. 4
Central Region Championship, 7 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO
 
The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team will look to capture the NCAA Division II Central Region tournament crown beginning Thursday in Warrensburg, Mo.
 
The winner of the NCAA Central Region Tournament will advance to the Elite Eight set for Dec. 9-11 in Tampa, Fla.
 
The Bearcats, ranked No. 4 in the AVCA Top 25 and seeded No. 3 in the NCAA Central Region Tournament, will meet a familiar foe in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Northwest will begin action Thursday at noon against No. 6-seeded Nebraska-Kearney at the UCM Multipurpose Building.
 
Nebraska-Kearney (25-6 overall, 15-5 MIAA) earned the No. 6 seed in the Central Region. The Lopers earned the program's 22nd straight NCAA Tournament appearance. UNK is 32-24 all-time in NCAA play, having advanced to the Elite Eight in 1995, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2019. UNK placed second in the nation in 2005 and 2019.

The Bearcats are making only their second NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bearcats are 0-1 in NCAA Tournament play having dropped a first-round matchup to Washburn in the 2010 season.
 
Northwest and Nebraska-Kearney split the season series this year with the visiting team capturing both victories. Northwest scored a 3-1 win over No. 10-ranked UNK in Kearney, Neb., on Oct. 1. No. 15-ranked UNK returned the favor by knocking off Northwest in Bearcat Arena, 3-0, on Oct. 30. The teams did not meet at the MIAA Tournament, but both squads fell to tournament champion Central Missouri in five sets.
 
Northwest enters the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 26-5. The 26-win season equals the most wins by a Bearcat volleyball squad since the 1994 season. Northwest has only had seven other seasons when it has won more games and all occurred between 1978 and 1984.
 
Northwest secured its 17th 20-win season in program history. It marks the fourth time in five years that Northwest reached 20 wins or more in a season. Three straight years of 20-win seasons is the longest stretch since Northwest had six consecutive 20-win seasons from 1980 to 1985.
 
Northwest's 20-Win Seasons
52 – 1980
51 – 1981
46 – 1984
32 – 1982
30 – 1978
28 – 1979
27 – 1983
26 – 1994, 2021
25 – 1985, 1999
22 – 2016, 2018
21 – 1990, 1998
20 – 1996, 2019
 
Northwest has its second-highest single-season winning percentage in program history at .829 (26-5 overall). The best single-season mark at Northwest came in the 1980 season with an .852 winning percentage (52-9 overall).
 
Northwest Single-Season Winning Percentage
1. .852 (52-9), 1980
2. .829 (26-5), 2021
3. .783 (46-13), 1984
4. .750 (51-14-1), 1981
5. .733 (22-8), 2018
6. .710 (22-9), 2016
7. .700 (21-9), 2019
8. .694 (25-11), 1999
9. .684 (26-12, 1994
10. .636 (21-12), 1998
 
Northwest ranks No. 2 in the nation in team kills (1,715) and team assists (1,570). The Bearcats rank No. 3 in the country in kills per set (14.78). Northwest ranks No. 6 in the nation in assists per set (13.53). Northwest ranks No. 8 in the country in team digs (2,155).
 
The Bearcats lead the MIAA in assists, digs, kills, service aces and total attacks.
 
The Bearcats are a 5-2 in five-set matches this season with both losses coming at Central Missouri.
 
Most Five-Set Wins – Single-Season
1. – 1990 – 7 (7-1)
2. – 1998 – 6 (6-2)
       2019 – 6 (6-2)
4. – 1997 – 5 (5-4)
       2005 – 5 (5-2)
       2016 – 5 (5-5)
       2021 – 5 (5-2)
 
Northwest tied its program record with 10 road wins this season. The Bearcats previously won 10 road matches in the 1994 campaign. The Bearcats have produced a record of 17-3 in road/neutral matches this season. The 16 road/neutral wins are the most in the head coach Amy Woerth coaching era at Northwest.
 
Most Road Wins – Single-Season
1. - 1994 - 10
       2021 - 10
3. - 1980 - 9
4. - 1999 - 8
      2018 - 8
5. - 2019 - 7
6. - 2005 - 6
       2016 - 6
       2017 - 6
10. - 1993 - 5
       1997 - 5
       1998 – 5
 
Road/Neutral Records Under Coach Woerth
2021 – 17-3
2019 – 15-5
2018 – 15-5
2017 – 11-12
2016 – 13-4
2015 – 10-10
2014 – 6-12
2013 – 9-13
 
Northwest is ranked No. 4 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches' Association Division II Top 25 rankings. It marks the 35th time in program history that Northwest has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25. Northwest set the program's highest ranking at No. 3 in the Oct. 25, 2021, poll. Northwest has been ranked in the AVCA Top-10 10 times – with eight of those coming in the 2021 season.

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
Nov. 18, 2019 – No. 20
Nov. 25, 2019 – No. 21
Dec. 16, 2019 – No. 25
2021 Preseason – No. 17
Sept. 6, 2021 – No. 8
Sept. 13, 2021 – No. 12
Sept. 20, 2021 – No. 13
Sept. 27, 2021 – No. 13
Oct. 4, 2021 – No. 10
Oct. 11, 2021 – No. 9
Oct. 18, 2021 – No. 6
Oct. 25, 2021 – No. 3
Nov. 1, 2021 – No. 5
Nov. 8, 2021 – No. 5
Nov. 15, 2021 – No. 4
Nov. 22, 2021 – No. 4
 
The Bearcats have recorded five wins this year over top-10 ranked opponents. Northwest posted the program's first-ever win over a No. 1-ranked foe when the Bearcats took down the top-ranked Washburn Ichabods in five sets on Oct. 15 in the Hughes Fieldhouse. This year marks the third straight season that Northwest has knocked off a top-10 ranked opponent. Northwest scored a 3-0 win over No. 9-ranked Central Missouri in the 2018 season. In 2019, Northwest recorded a 3-1 victory over No. 7-ranked Northern State.
 
2021 Wins Over Top-10 Opponents
W, 3-2 vs. No. 1 Washburn (Oct. 15)
W, 3-0 at No. 2 Washburn (Nov. 13)
W, 3-2 vs. No. 5 Tampa (Sept. 4)
W, 3-1 vs. No. 5 Washburn (Nov. 19)
W, 3-2 at No. 10 Nebraska-Kearney (Oct. 1)
 
Sophomore Alyssa Rezac (Wahoo, Neb.) secured first-team all-MIAA honors. She leads Northwest in assists (1,1176 – 11.53 assists per set). She ranks No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 5 in the nation in assists per set. Rezac regaled the UCO Bronchos with a career-high 66 assists and 16 digs in a five-set triumph in Edmond, Okla. She posted a phenomenal 48-assist, 24-dig effort in a five-set win over No. 5 Tampa (Sept. 4). Rezac sparked the No. 13 Bearcats to a 3-1 win over Pittsburg State. Rezac tallied a career-high 54 assists and added 19 digs in the four-set win against the Gorillas. Rezac had 60 assists, 10 digs, five blocks and three kills in a 3-2 win over No. 1-ranked Washburn. She has posted four matches of 60 or more assists in 2021. She has 13 double-doubles this season and 14 for her career. Rezac has posted the fourth-best assist total for a sophomore in Bearcat history.
 
MIAA Assists Per Set Leaders (through Nov. 28)
1. Maddie Squiers (Neb.-Kearney)     11.71
2. Alyssa Rezac (Northwest)               11.53
3. Allison Sadler (Washburn)              10.79
4. Brianna Richard (Pittsburg State)   10.24
5. Ally Offerdahl (Central Missouri)    9.59
 
Northwest Assists by Sophomore
1. Abby Wilms (1998)             1,499
2. Megan Danek (1999)          1,475
3. Jennifer PIttrich (1994)       1,468
4. Alyssa Rezac (2021)            1,176
5. Maddy Ahrens (2018)         1,171
 
Redshirt Freshman Payton Kirchhoefer (Omaha, Neb.) was named the MIAA's Freshman of the Year and earned first-team all-MIAA status. She leads the MIAA in kills (400), kills per set (3.91), points (437) and in points per set (4.16). Kirchhoefer posted a season-best 26 kills in a four-set match with Michigan Tech (Sept. 10). Kirchhoefer matched her career-high with 26 kills in Northwest's 3-2 win over No. 1-ranked Washburn. She has tallied 15 double-figure kill matches, including eight straight heading into Friday's match at Pittsburg State. She is a two-time MIAA offensive athlete of the week award winner.
 
MIAA Total Kill Leaders (through Nov. 28)
1. Payton Kirchhoefer (Northwest)    445
2. Genna Berg (Washburn)                 401
3. Audrey Fisher (Central Missouri)   360
4. Courtney Lane (Central Okla.)        343
5. Allison Maxwell (Washburn)          342
 
MIAA Kill Per Set Leaders (through Nov. 28)
1. Payton Kirchhoefer (Northwest)    3.90
2. Genna Berg (Washburn)                 3.71
3. Emersen Cyza (Nebraska-Kearney) 3.51
4. Courtney Lane (Central Okla.)        3.43
5. Meg Auten (Pittsburg State)          3.41
 
MIAA Total Points Scored Leaders (through Nov. 28)
1. Payton Kirchhoefer (Northwest)    472.0
2. Audrey Fisher (Central Missouri)   456.5
3. Genna Berg (Washburn)                 439.5
4. Allison Maxwell (Washburn)          408.5
5. Courtney Lane (Central Okla.)        383.0
 
MIAA Points Scored Per Set Leaders (through Nov. 28)
1. Payton Kirchhoefer (Northwest)    4.14
2. Genna Berg (Washburn)                 4.07
3. Audrey Fisher (Central Missouri)   4.04
4. Courtney Lane (Central Okla.)        3.83
5. Emersen Cyza (Nebraska-Kearney) 3.82
 
Kirchhoefer is moving her way up the Northwest freshman attacks and kills charts. Her 1,175 attacks are the most by a Bearcat freshman in program history. She ranks No. 3 on the freshman kills chart with 445. Kirchhoefer needs 11 more kills to reach the Northwest single-season top-10 kills list.
 
Northwest Kills by Freshman
1. Abby Sunderman (1997)     486
2. Jill Quast (1997)                  449
3. Payton Kirchhoefer (2021) 445
4. Sara Falcone (2007)            391
5. Diann Davis (1994)             382
 
Northwest Attacks by Freshman
1. Payton Kirchhoefer (2021) 1,175
2. Diann Davis (1994)             1,123
3. Jill Quast (1997)                  1,108
4. Allison Hyland (2002)         1,076
5. Stacy Hoelscher (1989)       1,023
 
Northwest Kills Single Season (All Players)
1. Mary Beth Bishop (1984)    569
2. MacKenzie heston (2006)   498
3. Sarah Trowbridge (2005)    489
4. Kathy Webb (1989)             487
5. Abby Sunderman (1997)     486
6. Alicia Johnson (2007)          483
7. Diann Davis (1997)             479
8. Laura Bowen (1989)           470
9. Kathy Lauher (1990)           457
10. Abby Sunderman (1998)  456
 
Junior Kelsey Havel (Osage, Iowa) notched first-team all-MIAA status. Havel ranks No. 2 on the team in total kills (296). Havel was named the MIAA offensive player of the week Oct. 4. Havel has produced 16 double-figure kill efforts, including a pair of 20-plus kill performances. She posted a season-best 22 kills in a five-set match with Central Missouri (Oct. 26). Havel has notched 11 double-doubles in 2021.
 
Junior Hannah Koechl (Innsbruck Austria) posted second-team all-MIAA honors in 2021 after securing honorable mention all-MIAA status in 2019. Koechl leads the squad with 38 service aces. She has registered a team-best 559 digs (4.82 digs/set), which ranks as the eighth-best single-season total in Bearcat volleyball history. She ranks No. 4 in the MIAA in total digs (559). She has reached double-figure dig totals in 25 of the 31 matches. She registered a season-high 38 digs in a five-set win over Grand Valley State (Sept. 10). Koechl has posted 1,029 career digs entering Thursday's NCAA Tournament match with Nebraska-Kearney.
 
MIAA Total Dig Leaders (through Nov. 28)
1. Faith Rottinghaus (Washburn)       705
2. Katie Le (Central Oklahoma)          600
3. Rylie Barnum (Central Missouri)    591
4. Hannah Koechl (Nothwest)            559
5. Rylie Fornelli (Emporia State)         534
 
Northwest Digs by Junior
1. Paige Spangenberg (2009)  701
2. Olivia Nowakowski (2017)  643
3. Tori Beckham (2011)          571
4. Hannah Koechl (2021)        559
5. Terri Palmer (1989)            511
 
Northwest Digs Single Season (All Players)
1. Tori Beckman (2012)          716
2. Paige Spangenberg (2009)  701
3. Paige Spangenberg (2008)  654
4. Olivia Nowakowski (2017)  643
5. Jill Quast (1997)                  618
6. Paige Spangenberg (2007)  593
7. Tori Beckman (2011)          571
8. Hannah Koechl (2021)        559
9. Paige Spangenberg (2010)  550
10. Stacy Hoelscher (1989)     544
 
Junior Rachel Sturdevant (Kansas City, Mo.) earned second-team all-MIAA honors this season after notching honorable mention all-MIAA status in 2019. She ranks second on the team in service aces (35) and total blocks (59). Sturdevant is hitting a team-best .303, which ranks No. 8 in the MIAA. She has posted 11 double-figure kill totals this season. She was honored Nov. 8 as the MIAA volleyball offensive player of the week. Sturdevant (Kansas City, Mo.) hit .532 with 28 kills (3.11 kills/set) to go along with seven service aces and six blocks in Northwest's perfect 3-0 week. Sturdevant notched 10 kills (.667), seven digs, five service aces and three blocks in a sweep of Missouri Southern. She pounded down 10 kills (.529) along with three blocks, three digs and an ace as Northwest swept the season series vs. Central Oklahoma for the first time in program history. Sturdevant finished the weekend with six kills (.400) and four digs in a 3-0 sweep of Newman on Senior Day in Bearcat Arena.
 
Sophomore Jaden Ferguson (Lincoln, Neb.) was named to the all-MIAA second team. She ranks third on the team in blocks (58). She ranks No. 4 on the Bearcats with 253 kills (2.36 kills per set. She has 11 double-figure kill performances this season.
 
Redshirt freshman Abby Brunssen (Atkins, Iowa) was named as an honorable mention all-MIAA selection in 2021. She leads the Bearcats in blocks (72). Brunssen produced a season-high seven blocks in Northwest's 3-1 win at No. 10-ranked Nebraska-Kearney. She is credited the eighth-best attack percentage in a four-set match in Bearcat history against Missouri Western. Brunssen tallied a .562 attack percentage with 11 kills and two errors on 16 attacks in the four-set win over the Griffons. Brunssen went for back-to-back six-block matches at Newman and at Central Oklahoma. She also produced a career-high 13 kills in the five-set triumph over UCO. She has produced seven double-figure kill matches in 2021.
 
Senior setter Maddy Ahrens (Appleton, Wis.) ranks No. 6 in Northwest history with 2,847 career assists. Ahrens notched first-team all-MIAA honors in 2018 and followed up with second-team all-MIAA status 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 – 2,847 (2017-pr.)
 
As the victories have piled up for the Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team, so have the weekly accolades from the MIAA. Northwest recorded 10 MIAA volleyball athlete of the week awards in 2021.
 
Northwest's MIAA Athletes of the Week (2021)
Alyssa Rezac (Setter) - Oct. 4
Kelsey Havel (Offensive) - Oct. 4
Alyssa Rezac (Setter) - Oct. 11
Hannah Koechl (Defensive) - Oct. 11
Payton Kirchhoefer (Offensive) - Oct. 18
Alyssa Rezac (Setter) - Oct. 18
Hannah Koechl (Defensive) - Oct. 18
Rachel Sturdevant (Offensive) - Nov. 8
Payton Kirchhoefer (Offensive) – Nov. 15
Alyssa Rezac (Setter) – Nov. 15
 
Northwest won a program-best 17 MIAA matches in 2021. The previous best of 14 MIAA wins was set in 2018. Each of the last five seasons has produced the most MIAA wins in program history.
 
Northwest's MIAA Wins – Single Season
1. 17 – 2021
2. 14 – 2018
3. 13 – 2019
4. 11 – 2017
5. 10 – 1999
    10 – 2010
    10 – 2016
7. 8 – 2011
    8 – 2014
    8 – 2015
 
Northwest's 11-match winning streak ranked as the fourth-longest streak in school history. The Bearcats set the school record for longest winning streak in the 1980 season with a 23-match streak. Northwest had a pair of 15-match winning streaks in the 1984 and 2016 seasons.
 
Northwest's Longest Winning Streaks
1. 23 (Sept. 12, 1980 – Oct. 7, 1980)
2. 15 (Sept. 7, 1984 – Sept. 21, 1984)
    15 (Sept. 2, 2016 – Sept. 30, 2016)
4. 11 (Sept. 18, 2021 – pres.)
5. 9 (Oct. 3, 1984 – Oct. 12, 1984)
    9 (Sept. 16, 1994 – Oct. 1, 1994)
    9 (Sept. 7, 2018 – Sept. 28, 2018)
8. 8 (Oct. 25, 1980 – Nov. 1, 1980)
    8 (Sept. 12, 1981 – Sept. 25, 1981)
    8 (Oct. 3, 1981 – Oct. 16, 1981)
 
For the eighth consecutive year and 15th 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 fifth straight year with a GPA ranked among the top-25 NCAA Division II schools. The Bearcat volleyball team recorded a 3.80 cumulative team grade point average during the 2020-21 season. Northwest is one of 161 NCAA Division II schools to gain the AVCA Team Academic Award this year.


The Bearcats came in at No. 3 in the preseason MIAA coaches' poll. Northwest received a pair of first place votes and was only two points away from second-place Washburn.
 
2021 MIAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Nebraska Kearney (7) - 96 points
2. Washburn (2) - 88 points
3. Northwest Missouri (2) - 86 points
4. Central Missouri - 75 points
5. Central Oklahoma - 62 points
6. Missouri Western - 48 points
7. Missouri Southern - 47 points
8. Pittsburg State - 43 points
9. Fort Hays State - 25 points
10. Emporia State - 20 points
11. Newman - 15 points
*First Place Votes Are in Parentheses
*Coaches Are Not Allowed To Vote For Their Own Team
 
Ninth-year head coach Amy Woerth ranks No. 3 in Bearcat coaching history with 160 career victories, trailing only Sarah Pelster (1991-2002) with 199 wins and Pam Stanek (1977-1981) with 176 triumphs. Woerth is 160-112 as the Bearcats' head coach.
 
The Bearcats posted a 14-3 mark this past spring during an abbreviated schedule of MIAA foes.
 
The Bearcats have named Hallie Sidney, Alyssa Rezac and Maddy Ahrens as their team captains for the 2021 season. Sidney will miss the 2021 season as she recovers from an injury.