LIBERTY, Mo. - The No. 13-ranked Northwest Missouri State University women's volleyball team roared back from an 0-2 hole to score a five-set win over the William Jewell College Cardinals.

Northwest won by set scores of 18-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-5. Northwest is 3-1 on the year and William Jewell is 1-3.

The Bearcats were staring down a 3-0 sweep at the hands of the Cardinals before putting it together and scoring a come-from-behind win as the Mabee Center gym temperatures rose.

William Jewell opened up with a 25-18 win in set one and a 25-20 triumph in game two. The Cardinals were cruising with a 13-6 lead in the third set when head coach Amy Woerth's troops simply flipped a switch. 

Northwest used a 10-3 run to level the set at 16-16 and give the visitors a fighting chance. Northwest took a 21-18 lead as WJC used its final timeout of the set. The Bearcats would tally a 25-22 win in the third set to stave off elimination. Northwest closed the third set on a 19-9 run. Northwest recorded 15 kills in the third set, led by Avery Kemp's four kills.

The Bearcats kept its good vibes rolling in the fourth set as they built a 23-18 advantage. The Cardinals made a late charge and cut the lead to 23-22, but the Bearcats held them off and gained a 25-23 win to force the deciding set.

Northwest turned the fifth set into a yawner as the Bearcats won 10 of the first 11 points of the set en route to a 15-5 victory. Northwest hit .471 (10 kills, 2 errors) in the fifth. WJC hit minus-.071 in the fifth with two kills and three errors. Northwest collected an 83% sideout effort in the final set.

Bearcat All-American Peyton Kirchhoefer saw her first effort as a hitter this season in the third set. Kirchhoefer hit .350 with nine kills on 20 swings. 

Kemp notched a career-high 18 kills and hit .500 with two blocks in the victory. Kemp finished strong with eight kills on 10 attempts in the final two sets.

Ella Caffery tallied 48 assists and 10 digs for her third double-double on the young season.

Northwest will travel to Topeka, Kan., next weekend for the Washburn Invitational with matches slated against Harding (Fri., 11:30 a.m.), Midwestern State (Fri., 5 p.m.), Christian Brothers (Sat., 8 a.m.) and Oklahoma Baptist (Sat., noon).