MARYVILLE, Mo. – The No. 5-ranked Northwest Missouri State University volleyball squad secured its third straight 20-win season with a quick 3-0 sweep of the visiting Missouri Southern Lions in Bearcat Arena.
 
Northwest won by set scores of 25-11, 25-11 and 25-12. Northwest moved its season mark to 20-4 overall and 13-3 in MIAA play. Missouri Southern has lost 19 straight matches on the season. The Lions are 3-23 overall and 0-16 in MIAA play.
 
The Bearcats closed out the Lions in less than an hour in the three-set win. Northwest hit .384 with 10 service aces, while Missouri Southern was limited to .041 and committed eight service errors. Northwest tallied 40 kills and held Missouri Southern to 17.
 
Northwest scored the first 11 points of the match to set the tone early. Northwest hit .308 in the opening set with 15 kills. The Bearcats sided out at a 75% clip in the first set, while the Lions had a 33% side out effort.
 
The Bearcats cruised again in the second set and led from start to finish. Northwest hit .381 with 10 kills and two attack errors, while obtaining a 90% side out effort.
 
The third set featured three ties and two lead changes. But the Bearcats polished off a 17-2 run that turned a 6-6 tie into a 23-8 advantage. Northwest hit .500 with 15 kills and two errors in the third. The Lions hit minus-.077 with four kills and six attack errors.
 
Avery Kemp and Rachel Sturdevant led the attack. Kemp was credited with a match-high 11 kills, while Sturdevant secured 10 kills, five service aces and three blocks.
 
Northwest is set to take on Central Oklahoma at home Friday at 5 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.
 
NOTES: Northwest has defeated Missouri Southern in 12 straight matchups … the Bearcats have won 22 straight sets against the Lions … Northwest owns a 42-28-1 record against Missouri Southern in the all-time series … Northwest's 13 MIAA wins ranks tied for the second-most league wins in program history – trailing only the 14-win performance in 2018.
 
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, 2019, 2021