MARYVILLE, Mo. - The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team put up a pair of school dig records in its five-set win over Missouri Western Tuesday in Bearcat Arena. 

Northwest won by set scores of 25-20, 22-25, 21-25, 25-20 and 15-10. Northwest is 9-6 overall and 3-2 in MIAA play. Missouri Western is 12-4 overall and 3-2 in league action.

Kyah Luhring set the single-match dig record with 54. The 54 digs are the most by a player in NCAA Div. II this season. Luhring became the first Bearcat to surpass the 50-dig mark in a match. She secured 11 in the first set, 14 in the second, 12 in the third, nine in the fourth and eight in the fifth set.

Northwest put up 143 digs, which is not only the highest total in NCAA Div. II volleyball this season, but also a school record for a single match. The previous single-match high for a Bearcat team in digs was 139 vs. Truman State on Oct. 20, 1995. Missouri Western secured 140 digs, which ranks as the second-highest total in Div. II this year.

Northwest took the first set, 25-20. The Bearcats turned a 9-7 lead into a 17-11 advantage to take control of the opening set. Northwest hit .224 and sided out at 70% in the first set.

The Griffons rebounded by taking a 2-1 lead with victories in the second and third set. MWSU was able to sideout at 63% in both the second and third sets, while Northwest dipped to 56% and 54%, respectively in those two sets. 

The Bearcats leveled the match at 2-2 with a 25-20 win in the fourth. The fourth set had 10 ties and eight lead changes. The last tie in the set came at 13-13. Northwest then ripped off five straight points to gain an 18-13 lead. MWSU would close to within three points at 20-17, but could climb no closer as the Bearcats pushed the match to a fifth set.

Northwest produced a 72% (8-of-11) side-out effort in the fifth, while MWSU sided out at 50% (7-of-14). The Griffons were held to .083 hitting percentage with six kills and three errors in the fifth.

Northwest will return to action Friday at 6 p.m. at home against No. 11-ranked and undefeated Central Oklahoma (17-0 overall, 4-0 MIAA).

NOTES: The five-set match featured 37 ties and 21 lead changes ... Northwest is 3-1 in five-set matches this season ... Payton Kirchhoefer and Kasidy Mohwinkle led the way with 14 kills each ... Mohwinkle tied a career-high with 14 kills ... Kirchhoefer tallied her 22nd career double-double with 14 kills and 15 digs ... it is Kirchhoefer's third double-double this season ... Ella Caffery netted her 13th career double-double with 58 assists and a career-best 19 digs ... Maja Noehrer was credited with a career-high 12 kills ... Kristen Ford notched 27 digs on the back row ... Ellery Luhring gained a career-high 11 digs in only her third match as a collegian.