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The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team will open up its 2021 spring season Saturday with a pair of matches in Pittsburg, Kansas.
 
Northwest will take on the Missouri Southern Lions at 12:30 p.m., followed by a nightcap against the Pittsburg State Gorillas at 6:30 p.m.
 
Northwest has won 10 straight matches with Missouri Southern, including four consecutive 3-0 sweeps. Northwest owns a 40-28-1 mark against MSSU.
 
The Bearcats have won each of the last six meetings with the Gorillas. Northwest has posted a 3-0 sweep in four of the six matches. Northwest holds a 34-27-1 lead in the all-time series with PSU.
 
The Bearcats return a pair of second-team all-MIAA selections in Maddy Ahrens and Morgan Lewis and a trio of honorable mention all-MIAA picks in Bethany Elkins, Hannah Koechl and Rachel Sturdevant.
 
Head coach Amy Woerth led Northwest to the program's first back-to-back 20-win seasons since 1998 and 1999 in 2018 and 2019. Northwest's 21-win campaign in 2019 was the third 20-win season in four years. The Bearcats reached as high as No. 10 in the AVCA Top 25 poll in 2019, marking the highest ranking in program history.
 
Woerth has guided Northwest to a mark of 135-109, including a mark of 78-71 in MIAA play. Woerth was the 2018 MIAA Coach of the Year. Woerth ranks No. 3 on Northwest's all-time wins list trailing only Sarah Pelster (199) and Pam Stanek (176).
 
Following this weekend's action, Northwest will return home to play its first home match of the season in Bearcat Arena Tuesday at 6 p.m. vs. Washburn.