MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team capped its regular season with a four-set win on Senior Night over Fort Hays State Saturday night in Bearcat Arena.
 
Northwest won by set scores of 25-10, 26-28, 25-13 and 25-16. Northwest is 15-11 overall and 9-7 in MIAA play. FHSU dropped to 12-13 overall and 4-12 in league play.
 
The Bearcats came out on fire in the opening set by cruising to a 25-10 triumph for a 1-0 lead. Northwest used an 11-1 scoring run to turn a 4-3 advantage into a commanding 15-4 lead. Abby Brunssen contributed three kills in the scoring run. Brunssen tallied a team-best six kills in the opening set. The Bearcats hit .515 with 17 kills and no attack errors. FHSU committed six hitting errors with eight kills in the first set for an .057 hitting effort. Northwest had a perfect 100% side out percentage in the first set going 11-for-11. . The 10 points allowed matched the lowest points allowed in a set this season by the Bearcats.
 
The Tigers rallied in the second to even the match at 1-1 with a 28-26 victory. FHSU hit .204 with 15 kills and four errors in the second. Northwest hit .224 with 19 kills and six errors. Northwest was able to side out at 55% (15-of-27) in the third.
 
Northwest used a 7-3 spurt to turn a one-point lead into a 15-10 bulge and force the second timeout of the set by FHSU. Northwest closed the set on a 13-3 scoring surge to score a 25-13 triumph for a 2-1 lead in the match. Northwest hit .368 in the third set with 15 kills and one attack error. FHSU hit .098 with 10 kills and six attack errors. Payton Kirchhoefer landed five kills on nine swings in the third set.

Northwest scored five of the first six points of the fourth set before FHSU head coach Jessica Wood-Atkins took a timeout. Northwest extended its lead to 11-5, but FHSU stormed back to within on at 12-11 with a 6-1 run. Northwest responded with a 5-2 spurt to move its lead to four at 17-13 and FHSU used its second timeout of the set. Olivia Dir sparked the Bearcat surge with three kills as she helped Northwest take a 19-13 lead late in the fourth. Dir would gain six kills in the fourth set and reach double-figures in kills for the match with 10 put-aways. Northwest finished off the Tigers, 25-16, for the four-set victory.

Northwest hit .314 for the match with 66 kills and only 12 attack errors. FHSU hit .109 with 41 kills and 23 attack errors. The Bearcats had 79 digs to 73 for the Tigers. Northwest won the blocking battle, 10-4.
 
Northwest will play in the MIAA Tournament beginning Thursday at Civic Arena in downtown St. Joseph, Mo. The seedings and brackets will be released by the MIAA following the conclusion of the regular season and the updated KPI rankings.
 
NOTES: Kirchhoefer came through with her 22nd career double-double and third of the season with 12 kills and 23 digs … Brunssen secured 10 kills for her 43rd career double-figure kill match … Avery Kemp put up her 29th career 10-plus kill match with 12 kills vs. the Tigers … Kyah Luhring was credited with 15 digs and Kristen Ford contributed with 15 digs … Ella Caffery dished out 23 assists and Natalie Laiolo had 21 assists in the two-setter look for the 'Cats.