The No. 17-ranked Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team will begin its 2021 season in the Sunshine State.
 
The Bearcats are slated to take on four opponents in the Courtyard by Marriott Volleyball Classic hosted by the University of Tampa. Northwest will match up against Augustana (11:45 a.m.) and Ashland (4:15 p.m.) on Friday. The Bearcats will take on Illinois-Springfield (9:30 a.m.) and Tampa (2 p.m.) on Saturday.
 
All four matches will be streamed on TampaSpartans.TV and live stats will be available for each of the contests (TampaStats.com).
 
Friday, Sept. 3
No. 17 Northwest Missouri State vs. Augustana, 11:45 a.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
No. 17 Northwest Missouri State vs. Ashland, 4:15 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
Saturday, Sept. 4
No. 17 Northwest Missouri State vs. Illinois-Springfield, 9:30 a.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
No. 17 Northwest Missouri State at No. 5 Tampa, 2 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
Northwest will be meeting Augustana for the 10th time in program history. The Vikings hold an 8-1 lead in the all-time series. Northwest's only victory over Augustana came Sept. 7, 1984, in Maryville (W, 2-1).
 
Northwest and Ashland will be meeting for the first time.
 
Northwest holds a 1-0 lead all-time vs. Illinois-Springfield. The Bearcats posted a 3-0 win over UIS on Sept. 28, 2009, in Memphis, Tenn.
 
Northwest and Tampa have met on two previous occasions with the Spartans scoring both victories. Tamps scored a 2-0 win over Northwest on Oct. 18, 1986, in Denver, Colo. The Spartans tallied a 3-1 triumph over the Bearcats on Sept. 10, 2005, in Tampa.
 
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.
 
Northwest enters the 2021 season ranked No. 17 in the AVCA's Preseason Top 25 poll. It is the first time in program history that the Bearcats have earned a preseason top 25 ranking. It marks the 23rd 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
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
 
Northwest's schedule features seven opponents that are ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA preseason top 25 (No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney, No. 5 Tampa, No. 8 Washburn, No. 18 Central Missouri, RV Augustana, RV Upper Iowa and RV Central Oklahoma).
 
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
 
Northwest secured its 16th 20-win season in program history in 2019. It marks the third time in four years that Northwest reached 20 wins or more in a season. It is the first back-to-back 20-win seasons for the Bearcats since 1999. Northwest had a stretch of 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
25 – 1985, 1999
22 – 2016, 2018
21 – 1990, 1998
20 – 1996, 2019
 
Senior Maddy Ahrens (Appleton, Wis.) ranks No. 6 in Northwest history with 2,573 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 – 2,643 (2017-pr.)
 
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.
 
Tenth-year head coach Amy Woerth ranks No. 3 in Bearcat coaching history with 135 career victories, trailing only Sarah Pelster (1991-2002) with 199 wins and Pam Stanek (1977-1981) with 176 triumphs.
 
The Bearcats posted a 14-3 mark this past spring during an abbreviated schedule of MIAA foes.