MARYVILLE, Mo. - The No. 13-ranked Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team won its sixth straight match and stayed perfect at home on the season with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Missouri Southern Lions.

Northwest won by set scores of 23-25, 25-17, 25-16 and 25-21. The Bearcats improved to 18-5 overall and 12-3 in MIAA action. Missouri Southern dropped to 10-14 overall and 5-10 in league play. Northwest has defeated MSSU in 14 straight matchups. Northwest has won 20 of the last 21 matchups with Missouri Southern. Northwest is 6-0 at home this season.

Missouri Southern put Northwest on its heels in the first set. The Lions took every punch from the Bearcats and kept charging. MSSU used a late 5-1 surge to turn a 21-19 deficit into a 24-22 lead. The Lions hit .256 with 14 kills, while Northwest hit .188 with 14 kills in the opening set. The first set featured 12 ties and six lead changes before MSSU collected a 25-23 triumph.

Northwest leveled the match at a set each with a 25-17 win in the second. The Bearcats used five service aces and hit .390 with 17 kills to draw even. MSSU hit .205 with 12 kills. Northwest built a 15-5 lead, saw MSSU cut the margin to 17-12 before closing out the set.

The Bearcats took a 2-1 lead with a 25-16 victory in the pivotal third set. Northwest hit .234 with 13 kills and MSSU hit .082 with 11 kills and seven attack errors. Each squad posted 28 digs in the third set.

Northwest finished off MSSU with a come-from-behind 25-21 fourth-set triumph. MSSU held a 17-14 lead only to see Northwest rally with an 8-1 spurt to take command of the fourth at 22-18. Northwest used three blocks from Avery Kemp in the fourth set to put away the Lions. Kemp did not play in the opening set, but came out firing with nine kills and five blocks in the match.

Northwest recorded 97 digs in the win with Jaden Ferguson (25) and Kyah Lurhing (23) leading the way. Luhring had 10 digs alone in the second set. Ferguson netted a team-best four service aces.

Payton Kirchhoefer secured 18 kills and 17 digs. Kirchhoefer landed six of her kills in the fourth set.

Alyssa Rezac notched 53 assists, 17 digs, two service aces and a block assist.

Northwest will wrap up the week's action with a road match Saturday at Pittsburg State. First serve is set for 6 p.m. in Pittsburg, Kan.