TOPEKA, Kansas – The No. 14-ranked Northwest Missouri State University volleyball squad earned a spot in the championship match of MIAA Spring Tournament with a 3-0 sweep of the University of Central Missouri Jennies.
 
The Bearcats (14-2 overall) ran their win streak to eight matches in a row by taking down the Jennies by the count of 25-15, 26-24 and 25-18.
 
Northwest will take on No. 10-ranked Nebraska-Kearney in the tournament final at 4 p.m. UNK defeated Central Oklahoma in the other semifinal, 3-0.
 
The Bearcats got off to a bit of a slow start in the opening set as the Jennies took a 7-4 lead. Northwest got its offense going and came back to take a 12-10 advantage. With the set tied at 13-13, Northwest used an 11-1 run to take control. A 7-0 Bearcat spurt started the run that was keyed by a pair of kills from freshman Payton Kirchhoefer and the always unconventional dig-kill from Sophie McMullen. Jaden Ferguson closed out the set with her fifth kill to give Northwest a 25-15 triumph.
 
UCM scored the first three points of the second set and took another 7-4 lead before the Bearcats got it going again. Hannah Koechl notched an ace and back to back blocks from the duo of Kirchhoefer and Bethany Elkins gave Northwest an 8-7 lead. Rachel Sturdevant posted a kill to knot the set at 12-12. UCM took advantage of three service aces from Audrey Fisher in the midst of a 6-0 run to seemingly take the momentum away from Northwest. But the Bearcats rode the serving of Alyssa Rezac to answer right back with six points of their own and even it up at 18-18. Olivia Dir entered during the 6-0 run and helped spark the Bearcat offensive attack. Dir secured a kill at 23-22 and Kristen Ford followed with an ace to give Northwest a pair of set points. UCM fought off both set points to even the set at 24-24. Dir came through with her third kill of the set and Ferguson knocked down the set-winner for a 26-24 Bearcat victory.
 
The Jennies tallied the first three points of the third set only to have the Bearcats score three straight points to even it up. With the set even at 13-13, Northwest used a 6-0 run to put the Jennies on the brink of elimination from the tournament. Sturdevant and Rezac combined for a pair of back to back blocks in the run and Sturdevant secured two kills to give Northwest a 19-13 lead. Kirchhoefer kicked in three more kills to give Northwest a 22-16 advantage. Ferguson secured a kill to give Northwest match point. Dir found the floor on her fourth kill of the set to clinch the 25-18 victory for the Bearcats.
 
NOTES: Kirchhoefer posted a team-high 12 kills and five blocks … Dir saw action in the final two sets and posted seven kills … Ferguson tallied 10 kills … Sturdevant secured four blocks and six kills.