Tues., Oct. 24
Missouri Western at Northwest Missouri State, 6 p.m. | MIAA NETWORK | LIVE STATS
 
Fri., Oct. 27
Washburn at Northwest Missouri State, 6 p.m. | MIAA NETWORK | LIVE STATS
 
Sat., Oct. 28
Emporia State at Northwest Missouri State, 3 p.m. | MIAA NETWORK | LIVE STATS
 
The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team will have a busy week of home action at Bearcat Arena with MIAA matchups on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
 
Northwest (12-9 overall, 7-6 MIAA) will take on Missouri Western (15-7, 8-5 MIAA) Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Bearcat Arena. The Bearcats scored a 3-0 win over the Griffons earlier this season on Sept. 19 in St. Joseph, Mo.
 
On Friday, Northwest will play host to the No. 25-ranked Washburn Ichabods (14-6 overall, 8-5 MIAA). Washburn eked out a 3-2 victory over Northwest on Sept. 30 in Topeka, Kan.
 
Northwest will wrap up the week's action Saturday at 3 p.m. against the Emporia State Hornets (11-10, 5-8 MIAA). Northwest will look to sweep the season series with the Hornets after posting a five-set win in Emporia, Kan., on Sept. 29.
 
The Bearcats are looking to secure a spot in the 2023 MIAA Tournament set for Nov. 16-18 at Civic Arena in St. Joseph. Northwest enters this week's action in sixth place in the league standings, but only one game behind Washburn and Missouri Western for the fourth and fifth positions.
 
MIAA Volleyball Standings (as of Oct. 23)
1. Central Missouri     12-2
2. Central Oklahoma   11-2
3. Nebraska-Kearney  11-3
4. Washburn               8-5
5. Missouri Western   8-5
6. Northwest Mo. St.  7-6
7. Emporia State         5-8
8. Missouri Southern  5-9
9. Pittsburg State        4-9
10. Fort Hays State     2-11
11. Newman               0-13
 
Northwest is 4-4 in five-set matches this season. Northwest is 7-3 in three-set matches. Northwest is 1-2 in four-set matches this season.
 
Northwest has fared extremely well in the fourth set of matches this year by posting a mark of 9-2 in the fourth set. Northwest is 11-10 in the opening set of matches. Northwest also owns a winning mark in the third set at 12-9.
 
Northwest is averaging 12.87 kills per set in 82 sets this season. The Bearcats are averaging 1.43 service aces per set and 1.77 blocks per set. Northwest is averaging 16.06 points per set in 21 matches.
 
Bearcat opponents are averaging 12.17 kills per set. Northwest opponents are averaging 1.02 service aces and 2.12 blocks per set. Northwest opponents are averaging 15.32 points per set in 21 matches.
 
Junior defensive specialist/libero Kristen Ford set a career-high with 37 digs and averaged 5.89 digs per set in a pair of road wins over Missouri Southern and Newman. Ford played the first two sets as a defensive specialist against Missouri Southern before changing to libero for the final three sets in a 3-2 Bearcat win. She tallied a career-best 37 digs against the Lions, which ranks tied for the eighth-most digs in a single match in Bearcat history. Ford was credited with 14 digs in the fourth set alone against the Lions. On Wednesday, Ford added 16 digs in a four-set road win over Newman. Ford ranks second on the team in total digs (212). She has posted eight double-figure dig totals, including a pair of 30-plus effort this year.
 
Northwest Most Digs in a Match
1. 47, Olivia Nowakowski at Arkansas-Fort Smith (9/15/17)
2. 46, Paige Spangenberg vs. Fort Hays State (10/24/08)
3. 42, Hannah Koechl vs. Nebraska-Kearney (11/22/19)
4. 40, Olivia Nowakowski at Nebraska-Kearney (11/3/18)
5. 39, Paige Spangenberg vs. Tarleton State (10/2/09)
6. 38, Tori Beckman vs. Pittsburg State (10/14/12)
    38, Hannah Koechl vs. Grand Valley State (9/10/21)
8. 37, Becky Brown vs. Missouri Western (9/22/93)
    37, Paige Spangenberg vs. Southwest Baptist (11/1/08)
    37, Hannah Koechl vs. Washburn (10/15/21)
    37, Kristen Ford at Missouri Southern (10/17/23)
 
Junior middle hitter Abby Brunssen leads the Bearcats in kills (185), total blocks (73) and points scored (226.0). Brunssen has nine double-figure kill matches this season, including a season-best 18 in last week's win at Missouri Southern. Brunssen averaged 3.78 kills per set and hit .400 as she helped guide Northwest to a pair of league wins on the road. Brunssen set a career-high with 18 kills (.400) and added seven blocks in a five-set win at Missouri Southern. She notched 16 kills (.400) with two blocks in a four-set win at Newman. Brunssen was credited with a season-high eight blocks in a three-set win over Pittsburg State (Oct. 14).
 
Redshirt freshman Ella Caffery is tops in the team in service aces (24) and assists (575). She ranks third on the team in blocks (28) and fourth on the squad in digs (156). Caffery averaged 9.88 assists per set and led Northwest to a pair of road wins over Missouri Southern and Newman. Caffery dished out 39 assists to go along with eight digs, five kills (.455), three blocks and two service aces against the Lions. Caffery entered the match in the second set and engineered a Bearcat comeback from down two sets to zero. On Wednesday, Caffery handed out 40 assists in a four-set win at Newman. She added five kills (.417), eight digs, two blocks and a service ace against the Jets. Caffery served up a season-high six aces against Kentucky Wesleyan in the season opener. Caffery has tallied six matches of 40 or more assists this season, including a pair of 50-assist matches against Missouri Southern and Central Missouri. She leads the Bearcats with six double-doubles this season. Caffery was named the MIAA Setter of the Week on Sept. 25 after helping the Bearcats produce 3-0 sweeps of Missouri Western and Newman.
 
Active Career Double-Doubles
Payton Kirchhoefer     19
Ella Caffery                  6
Olivia Dir                       4
Natalie Laiolo              2
 
Junior Avery Kemp leads the squad in hitting percentage (.306). She ranks second on the team in kills (175), blocks (50) and points scored (218). She has totaled 10 double-figure kill matches, including a season-high 18 in a five-set victory at William Jewell. She has posted two or more blocks in 12 of her last 14 matches.
 
Junior Payton Kirchhoefer has totaled 964 kills and 678 digs in 76 matches in her Bearcat career. She has landed 142 kills and tallied 186 digs this season. Kirchhoefer claimed her fifth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 18 digs against Central Missouri. It was the 19th double-double of her Bearcat career. She set a career-high with 27 digs in a five-set win at Emporia State. She has posted eight career matches of 20 or more digs. Kirchhoefer is a two-time AVCA All-America selection and a two-time first-team all-MIAA pick. She was the MIAA Freshman of the Year in 2021.
 
Graduate transfer Lauren Casey ranks fourth on the team in kills (141). She has seen action in 20 matches. She has posted four matches of double figures in kills. She secured a season-high 15 kills in a five-set victory at Emporia State. Casey scored three straight points down the stretch in the fifth set at Emporia State to lift the Bearcats to the victory. Northwest led 11-9 when Casey went on a three-kill stretch to put the match out of reach for the Hornets.
 
Junior Olivia Dir ranks fifth on the squad with 139 kills. She has seen action in 20 matches. Dir has notched six double-figure kill matches. She has twice put up 15-kill efforts this season against Central Missouri and Missouri Southern. Dir has posted four career double-doubles.
 
Junior Kyah Luhring leads the team with 353 digs (4.30 digs/set). Luhring ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in total digs. She ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in digs per set. Luhring has tallied 30-dig matches this season. She has posted eight matches of 20 or more digs.
 
 
Luhring set the school record for digs in a three-set match with 31 against Newman. Her 31 digs rank second in the nation this year in three-set matches. She was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week after her 31-dig effort vs. Newman.
 
Northwest's Single-Match Digs (3 Sets)
1. 31, Kyah Luhring vs. Newman (9/22/23)
2. 28, Paige Spangenberg vs. Washburn (11/18/10)
    28, Kyah Lulhring vs. Central Oklahoma (11/2/22)
4. 27, Becky Brown vs. Missouri Western (10/27/93)
5. 26, Jill Quast vs. Simpson (10/14/00)
    26, Paige Spangenberg vs. Southwest Baptist (10/30/10)
    26, Tori Beckman vs. Central Oklahoma (10/12/12)
 
NCAA Single-Match High Digs (3-set matches) in 2023
1. 32, Meagan Jimenez, Cameron vs. Missouri Southern (9/1/23)
2. 31, Kyah Luhring, Northwest Mo. St. vs. Newman (9/22/23)
3. 30, Najlaa Williams, Virginia St. vs. Claflin (9/30/23)
    30, Christine Funk, Montana State Billings vs. Rocky Mountain (9/25/23)
    30, Morgan Schmutzler, Franklin Pierce vs. Post (9/8/23)
    30, Elly Collins, Wilmington vs. Roberts Wesleyan (9/2/23)
 
Freshman Gabrielle Gartner hit .706 with 12 kills on 17 swings in a 3-0 win over Pittsburg State on Oct. 14. Her .706 hitting percentage ranks as the second-best hitting percentage in a three-set match in Bearcat history. Gartner has produced four double-figure kill efforts this season.
 
Bearcat 13th-year head coach Amy Woerth has compiled an overall mark of 197-131. Woerth ranks No. 2 in coaching victories in program history with 197 – trailing only Sarah Pelster (199 wins from 1991-2002). Woerth captured her second MIAA Coach of the Year award in 2022. Woerth first earned MIAA Coach of the Year honors in 2018 and landed the award again in 2022 after guiding the Bearcats to the first MIAA regular season crown in program history. Woerth has led the Bearcats to four consecutive 20-win seasons. It is the fifth 20-win season in her tenure. 

Northwest Volleyball Coaching Victories
1. Sarah Pelster (1991-2002) - 199
2. Amy Woerth (2012-current) - 197
3. Pam Stanek (1977-81) - 176
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) - .601 (197-131)
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)

Northwest is receiving the 12th-most votes of the unranked teams in this week's AVCA/Taraflex Top 25 Coaches' Poll. Northwest has been ranked 52 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 16 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
Oct. 17, 2022 – No. 13
Oct. 24, 2022 – No. 12
Oct. 31, 2022 – No. 10
Nov. 7, 2022 – No. 10
Nov. 14, 2022 – No. 12
Final 2022 – No. 13
2023 Preseason – No. 13
Sept. 4, 2023 – No. 15
Sept. 11, 2023 – No. 18
Sept. 18, 2023 – No. 24