Friday, Sept. 24
Missouri Southern at No. 13 Northwest Missouri State – Canceled (COVID-19 Protocols)
 
Saturday, Sept. 25
Pittsburg State at No. 13 Northwest Missouri State, 6 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
The No. 13-ranked Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team (8-2 overall, 1-1 MIAA) will take on Pittsburg State (8-2 overall, 2-0 MIAA) Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Hughes Fieldhouse.

Admission for Saturday's match against Pittsburg State will be free following the Bearcat football game vs. Central Oklahoma.
 
Northwest will play its home matches this season at Hughes Fieldhouse. Bearcat Arena is unavailable this fall with shoring improvements for the building's roof. Sport Court has been installed to serve as the playing surface.
 
Parking for home matches is available in the south and east lots of Hughes Fieldhouse. Fans can enter in either the south or east entrances to the building. Concessions and restrooms will be available on the concourse level.
 
The Bearcats own a 34-27-1 lead all-time vs. Pittsburg State. The Bearcats have defeated the Gorillas in six straight matches entering Saturday's match. In that six-match win streak, Northwest has won 18 sets and lost only three to PSU.
 
Northwest ranks No. 1 in the MIAA in total attacks (1,417). Northwest ranks No. 2 in the MIAA in kills (527) and service aces (67).
 
Northwest went 1-1 this past week with a loss at home to No. 7 Central Missouri and a four-set triumph over long-time rival Missouri Western in St. Joseph.
 
Freshman Payton Kirchhoefer (Omaha, Neb.) leads the squad in kills (131 – 3.45 kills/set). Kirchhoefer posted a season-best 26 kills in a four-set match with Michigan Tech (Sept. 10). She has tallied seven double-digit kill matches this year.
 
Sophomore Jaden Ferguson (Omaha, Neb.) is hitting .287 and ranks No. 2 in the team in kills (107 – 2.82 kills/set). Ferguson is also tops on the team in blocks (26). Ferguson notched a season-best 18 kills vs. Grand Valley State (Sept. 10). Ferguson has had at least eight kills in nine of Northwest's 10 matches this season. Ferguson was credited with a career-high seven blocks in a five-set win over No. 5-ranked Tampa (Sept. 4).
 
Sophomore Alyssa Rezac  (Wahoo, Neb.) leads Northwest in assists (282 – 10.07 assists per set). Rezac tallied a career-best 52 assists in a 3-1 win over Missouri Western (Sept. 18). She has three double-doubles this season and four for her career. She posted a phenomenal 48-assist, 24-dig effort in a five-set win over No. 5 Tampa (Sept. 4).
 
Junior Hannah Koechl (Innsbruck Austria) has posted a team-best 168 digs (4.42 digs/set) through the first 10 matches of the season. She has reached double-figure dig totals in eight of the 10 matches in 2021. She registered a season-high 38 digs in a five-set win over Grand Valley State (Sept. 10).
 
Senior setter Maddy Ahrens (Appleton, Wis.) ranks No. 6 in Northwest history with 2,785 career assists. Ahrens ranks No. 21 on the NCAA Division II active career list for total assists. Ahrens notched first-team all-MIAA honors in 2018 and followed up with second-team all-MIAA status in 2019.
 
Freshman Abby Brunssen (Atkins, Iowa) produced the eight-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.
 
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 – 2,785 (2017-pr.)
 
The Bearcats dropped one spot to No. 13 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches' Association Division II Top 25 rankings. It marks the 26th time in program history that Northwest has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25. Northwest's all-time highest ranking came at No. 8 in the Sept. 6, 2021 poll.
 
This week's AVCA poll features four MIAA teams ranked in the top 13. Washburn is ranked No. 1 with 25 first-place votes. Nebraska-Kearney is ranked No. 4 with one first-place vote. Central Missouri is No. 7 and the Bearcats are No. 13. Eight of the top 13 teams in the AVCA top 25 poll are from the MIAA or Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

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
 
With its win over No. 5-ranked Tampa, it is 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 31- victory over No. 7-ranked Northern State.
 
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
 
In Northwest's 3-0 win over Purdue Northwest, the Bearcats recorded its second-highest hitting percentage in a match in the history of its program. Northwest hit .494 with 42 kills and four attack errors on 77 total swings. It ranks as the eighth-best single-match hitting performance this season among all NCAA Division II teams.
 
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 143 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.
 
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.