Fri., Oct. 14
No. 10 Washburn at No. 15 Northwest Missouri State, 6 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
Sat., Oct. 15
Emporia State at No. 15 Northwest Missouri State, 6 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
Fresh off a 3-1 win over No. 25-ranked Central Missouri, the No. 15-ranked Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team will play host to a pair of MIAA matchups this Friday and Saturday in Bearcat Arena.
 
Northwest (14-5 overall, 8-3 MIAA) will play seven of its next nine matches at home in Bearcat Arena. Washburn will enter Friday's match with a mark of 17-3 overall and 9-3 in league play. Emporia State is 4-17 overall and 1-11 in the MIAA.
 
Washburn sits in third place, a game out of first place, while Northwest is in fourth place a game and a ½ out of first.
 
MIAA Standings
Neb.-Kearney              10-2
Central Oklahoma       9-2
Washburn                   9-3
Northwest Mo. St.      8-3
Central Missouri         7-4
Pittsburg State            6-6
Missouri Southern      4-7
Fort Hays State           4-8
Missouri Western       3-8
Newman                     2-9
Emporia State             1-11
 
Northwest is 5-4 against ranked foes this season, including a mark of 2-2 against top-10 ranked opponents. Northwest's only other loss this season came against Regis when the Rangers were unranked. Regis is ranked No. 16 in this week's AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll.
 
Northwest vs. Top-25 Ranked Foes in 2022
W, 3-1 at No. 14 West Texas A&M (8/27)
W, 3-0 vs. No. 16 Angelo State (9/2)
L, 3-1 at No. 4 MSU Denver (9/2)
W, 3-1 vs. No. 3 Western Washington (9/3)
L, 3-2 at No. 18 Central Missouri (9/7)
W, 3-1 at No. 2 Washburn (9/17)
L, 3-0 at No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney (9/30)
L, 3-0 at No. 24 Central Oklahoma (10/7)
W, 3-1 vs. No. 25 Central Missouri (10/11)
 
Washburn owns a 50-27 lead in the all-time series with Northwest. Northwest has won four consecutive matchups with Washburn, including a 3-1 win over the Ichabods in Topeka, Kan., earlier this season.
 
Emporia State holds a 43-21 lead over Northwest in the all-time series. Northwest has won seven in a row in the series and 10 of the last 11 matchups. The Bearcats have defeated the Hornets five straight times in Maryville, Mo.
 
Northwest is 13-1 this season when winning the first two sets. Northwest went 15-2 last season when taking the first two sets of a match. Since the start of the 2018 season, Northwest is 62-6 when winning the first two sets.
 
The Bearcats rank second in the MIAA in team hitting percentage (.252). Northwest ranks No. 3 in kills (13.71 kills/set). Northwest leads the MIAA in opponent blocks (1.57 blocks/set).
 
Setter Alyssa reached the 2,000-career assist mark in Northwest's 3-0 win over Newman. Rezac has posted 2,071 career assists. Rezac blitzed the Central Missouri Jennies for 45 assists, 11 digs, seven blocks and four kills in a 3-1 home win on Tuesday. She has posted 40 or more assists six times this season. Rezac's seven blocks against UCM is a career high. Rezac ranks No. 4 in the MIAA in assists per set (10.12) and that bumps up to No. 2 in MIAA matches only (11.49 assists/set). She ranks No. 5 in the league in service aces per set (0.39). She has posted seven double-doubles this season and 23 in her Bearcat career.
 
Double-Doubles (2022)
Alyssa Rezac               7
Payton Kirchhoefer     6
Jaden Ferguson           5
Olivia Dir                     2
Kelly Wiedemann        2
 
Active Career Double-Doubles
Hallie Sidney               26
Alyssa Rezac               22
Payton Kirchhoefer     6
Jaden Ferguson           6
Olivia Dir                     3
Kelly Wiedemann       2
 
Jaden Ferguson ranks No. 6 in the league in hitting percentage (.324) with 197 kills. Ferguson is hitting .332 with 132 kills in 11 MIAA matches. In MIAA matches, Ferguson ranks No. 5 in total kills (119). Ferguson posted a career-best 21 digs in Tuesday's 3-1 home win over Central Missouri. Ferguson tallied 13 kills and 21 digs for her sixth career double-double. Ferguson has registered 12 double-figure kill matches this season and 26 for her career.
 
Payton Kirchhoefer leads the Bearcats in kills per set (3.25). She ranks second on the team in total kills (179). She has posted nine double-figure kill performances this season. She has twice posted 18 kills this season against West Texas A&M and Central Missouri. She had a 22-dig effort at MSU Denver.
 
Hallie Sidney is one of 34 active NCAA Division II players with 1,000 or more career kills. Sidney has tallied 1,016 career kills for the Bearcats.
 
Abby Brunssen ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in blocks per set (1.08). Brunssen had a season-high nine blocks against Angelo State. Brunssen has tallied a team-best 53 blocks in 2022.
 
Avery Kemp secured a career-high seven blocks in Northwest's 3-1 win over No. 25-ranked Central Missouri. Kemp ranks No. 11 in the MIAA in hitting percentage (.296). Kemp has posted 146 kills on the season. Kemp has recorded six double-figure kill matches this season. Kemp secured the sixth-best three-set hitting percentage total in Bearcat history with a .611 hitting effort against Missouri Southern (Sept. 25).
 
Kyah Luhring set a career-high with 22 digs in a 3-1 win over No. 25-ranked Central Missouri. Luhring has posted 49 digs over the last three matches (4.9 digs per set). She has tallied five double-figure dig efforts this season.
 
Kate Frakes made her season debut at Fort Hays State and put on a show. Frakes tied for the sixth-best three-set hitting percentage in program history with 12 kills on 18 swings with one error (.611 hitting percentage) against the Tigers on Oct. 1.
 
Head coach Amy Woerth is in her 11th year at the helm of the Bearcat volleyball program. Woerth has compiled an overall mark of 175-120. Woerth ranks No. 3 in coaching victories in program history with 175 – trailing only Sarah Pelster (199 wins from 1991-2002) and Pam Stanek (176 wins from 1977-1981). 
 
Northwest Volleyball Coaching Victories
1. Sarah Pelster (1991-2002) - 199
2. Pam Stanek (1977-81) - 176
3. Amy Woerth (2012-current) - 175
4. Susie Homan (1982-84) - 105
5. Peggy Voisin (1987-90) - 64
6. Anna Tool (2006-09) - 56
7. Cathie Schulte (1985-86) - 37
8. Lori Slight (2003-05) - 35
9. Jessica Reinhart (2010-11) - 29
10. Theresa Hospodarski (1975-76) – 12
 
Northwest Volleyball Coaching Win Percentage
1. Pam Stanek (1977-81) - .655 (174-93-7)
2. Susie Homan (1982-84) - .642 (105-58-2)
3. Amy Woerth (2012-current) - .593 (175-120)
4. Jessica Reinhart (2010-11) - .475 (29-32)
5. Sarah Pelster (1991-2002) - .468 (199-226)
6. Anna Tool (2006-09) - .415 (51-72)
7. Cathie Schulte (1985-86) - .411 (37-53)
8. Peggy Voisin (1987-90) - .349 (64-114)
9. Lori Slight (2003-05) - .354 (35-64)
10. Theresa Hospodarski (1975-76) - .237 (12-43-4)
 
Woerth and the Bearcats earned the program's second NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021. Northwest set a school record with 17 MIAA victories last season. The previous best of 14 was set in 2018.
 
Northwest is ranked No. 15 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll. Northwest has been ranked 44 times in its program history. Northwest set the program's highest ranking at No. 3 in the Oct. 25, 2021, poll. Northwest has been ranked in the AVCA Top-10 14 times.

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
Sept. 27, 2021 – No. 13
Oct. 4, 2021 – No. 10
Oct. 11, 2021 – No. 9
Oct. 18, 2021 – No. 6
Oct. 25, 2021 – No. 3
Nov. 1, 2021 – No. 5
Nov. 8, 2021 – No. 5
Nov. 15, 2021 – No. 4
Nov. 22, 2021 – No. 4
Dec. 18, 2021 – No. 12
2022 Preseason – No. 12
Aug. 29, 2022 – No. 10
Sept. 5, 2022 – No. 12
Sept. 12, 2022 – No. 13
Sept. 19, 2022 – No. 11
Sept. 26, 2022 – No. 10
Oct. 3, 2022 – No. 10
Oct. 10, 2022 – No. 15
 
The Bearcats came in as the favorites in the preseason MIAA coaches' poll. Northwest received three first-place votes and edged out three other schools in a tight vote among the league coaches.
 
2022 MIAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1) Northwest Missouri – 90 Points [3 First-Place Votes]
T2) Nebraska Kearney – 85 Points [3 First-Place Vote]
T2) Washburn – 85 Points [3 First-Place Vote]
T2) Central Missouri – 85 Points [2 First-Place Vote]
5) Central Oklahoma – 60 Points 
6) Pittsburg State – 56 Points
7) Fort Hays State – 44 Points
8) Missouri Western – 43 Points
9) Emporia State – 21 Points 
10) Missouri Southern – 20 Points
11) Newman – 16 Points
*Coaches Are Not Allowed To Vote For Their Own Team
  
For the ninth straight year and 16th time overall, the Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team earned the United States Marine Corps/American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award. The Bearcat volleyball team recorded a 3.57 cumulative team grade point average during the 2021-22 season. Northwest was one of 148 NCAA Division II schools to gain the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award this year.