Friday, Sept. 20 – Fayette, Iowa (Dorman Memorial Gymnasium)
Northwest Missouri State at Upper Iowa, 6 p.m.
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Saturday, Sept. 21 – Fayette, Iowa (Dorman Memorial Gymnasium)
Winona State vs. Northwest Missouri State, 11 a.m.
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The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team will travel to the state of Iowa to play a pair of matches at Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa.
 
The Bearcat roster features six native Iowans that will get a chance to compete in their home state. The Bearcats will square off against Upper Iowa Friday at 6 p.m., and then against Winona State Saturday at 11 a.m. Both matches will take place in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium.
 
Iowans on Bearcat Roster
Abby Brunssen – Sr., Atkins, Iowa (Benton Community)
Ella Caffery – So., Moscow, Iowa (Wilton)
Chloee Hayes – Fr., Waukee, Iowa (Waukee Northwest)
Ellery Luhring – Fr., Grundy Center, Iowa (Grundy Center)
Kyah Luhring – Sr., Grundy Center, Iowa (Grundy Center)
Kasidy Mohwinkle – Jr., Aplington, Iowa (Aplington-Parkersburg)

Northwest enters the weekend at 4-4 overall and has won four of its last five matches. Upper Iowa is 5-4 on the season, while Winona State is 6-3. Winona State will play its first NSIC match of the season Thursday against No. 11-ranked Minnesota-Duluth prior to meeting up with the Bearcats on Saturday.
 
Northwest owns a 5-0-1 lead in the all-time series with the Peacocks. The squads last met in the 2021 season in Springfield, Ill, when the Bearcats tallied a 3-1 victory.

Northwest's All-Time Results vs. Upper Iowa
T, 1-1 vs. Upper Iowa (Lamoni, Iowa) – Oct. 12-13, 1979
W, 3-1 vs. Upper Iowa (Boone, Iowa) – Sept. 26, 2005
W, 3-1 vs. Upper Iowa (Maryville, Mo.) – Sept. 16, 2007
W, 3-1 vs. Upper Iowa (Rolla, Mo.) – Sept. 7, 2012
W, 3-0 vs. Upper Iowa (Winona, Minn.) – Sept. 7, 2013
W, 3-1 vs. Upper Iowa (Springfield, Ill.) – Sept. 11, 2021
 
Winona State holds a 3-0 lead in the all-time series with Northwest. The last meeting came Sept. 6, 2013, when the Warriors recorded a five-set triumph over the Bearcats in Winona, Minn.

Northwest's All-Time Results vs. Winona State
L, 2-0 vs. Winona State (Duluth, Minn.) – Oct. 28, 1983
L, 3-1 vs. Winona State (Omaha, Neb.) – Sept. 3, 2011
L, 3-2 at Winona State – Sept. 6, 2013
 
The Bearcats put together a solid 3-1 mark at the Outback Invitational in Pensacola, Fla. Northwest notched victories over Florida Tech (W, 3-1), Spring Hill (W, 3-0) and No. 21 West Florida (W, 3-2). Northwest's only setback came Friday afternoon against Wingate (L, 3-2).
 
Northwest set a season-high with 15 service aces in its 3-1 victory over Florida Tech. Northwest entered the match with Florida Tech with 15 total service aces on the season.
 
Northwest hit a season-best .302 in its 3-0 sweep of Spring Hill College. The Bearcats committed a season-low 14 errors in the win over Spring Hill.
 
Northwest collected a season-high 99 digs in its five-set match with Wingate.
 
Senior libero Kyah Luhring was named the MIAA Volleyball Defensive Athlete of the Week for her play at the Outback Invitational. Luhring averaged 5.00 digs per set as she produced 85 digs in four matches (17 sets) in Pensacola, Fla. Luhring tallied 19 digs vs. Florida Tech, 24 vs. Wingate, 16 vs. Spring Hill and 26 vs. No. 21 West Florida. It is the fifth time in her career that Luhring has gained the league's top weekly defensive honor. Luhring has posted 973 career digs in 83 career matches and 273 sets played as a Bearcat.
 
Senior Payton Kirchhoefer notched a pair of double-doubles against Florida Tech and Wingate to up her career total to 21. Kirchhoefer had double-figure kill totals in all four matches at the Outback Invitational, including a season-high 17 kills vs. Wingate. Kirchhoefer sparked a five-set win over No. 21-ranked West Florida by generating seven kills in the fifth set. Kirchhoefer ranks third on the team in kills per set (2.83)
 
Double-Doubles – Career (Season)
Payton Kirchhoefer      21 (2)
Ella Caffery                  9
Natalie Laiolo               9 (5)
Olivia Dir                      10 (5)
 
Senior Abby Brunssen leads the squad with 106 kills (3.42 kills/set), a .341 hitting percentage and 28 total blocks. In the first week of the season, Brunssen gained a spot on the Augustana Classic All-Tournament Team.
 
Senior Olivia Dir ranks second on the team with 91 kills and 97 digs. Dir has tallied five double-doubles this season to give her 10 for her Bearcat career. Dir has put up 10 or more kills six times this season. She has also notched 10 or more digs on six occasions.
 
Senior setter Natalie Laiolo is tied for the team lead with five double-doubles this season. Laiolo is averaging 5.26 assists per set and 2.71 digs per set.
 
Sophomore setter Ella Caffery leads the team with 175 assists (5.65 assists/set). She has notched 26 kills, including a season-high eight kills in a five-set win over No. 21-ranked West Florida.
 
Senior Kristen Ford eclipsed the 1,000-career dig mark at the Augustana Classic. Ford has posted 1,052 career digs in 98 matches as a Bearcat. Ford is averaging 2.96 digs per set in 356 career sets.
 
Junior Kasidy Mohwinkle ranks third on the team with 74 kills (2.39 kills/set). Mohwinkle has three double-figure kill efforts this season. She secured a career-high 14 kills (.300 hitting percentage) in a 3-1 win over Florida Tech.
 
Senior Avery Kemp saw her first action of the season at the Outback Invitational in Pensacola, Fla. Kemp had four kills against Wingate, five kills vs. Spring Hill and an eight-kill performance vs. No. 21-ranked West Florida. Kemp tallied at least two blocks in all three matches.
 
Northwest is coming off a 15-14 season and the Bearcats tallied their seventh straight season of securing 10 or more MIAA victories with a 10-10 mark in league play. The 10 wins in MIAA action last season tied for the sixth-most in school history.

Northwest's MIAA Wins – Single Season
1. 17 – 2021
    17 – 2022
3. 14 – 2018
4. 13 – 2019
5. 11 – 2017
6. 10 – 1999
    10 – 2010
    10 – 2016
    10 – 2023
10. 8 – 2011
    8 – 2014
    8 – 2015

Northwest has produced eight consecutive winning seasons, which is the longest streak in school history. Northwest has reached 20-win seasons in five of the last seven campaigns.

Northwest's 20-Win Seasons
52 – 1980
51 – 1981
46 – 1984
32 – 1982
30 – 1978
28 – 1979
27 – 1983
26 – 1994
25 – 1985, 1999
24 – 2021, 2022
22 – 2016, 2018
21 – 1990, 1998
20 – 1996, 2019

The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team has been selected sixth in the preseason 2024 MIAA Coaches' Poll. Northwest gained 68 points in the balloting to finish behind Central Missouri (113 pts.), Central Oklahoma (110 pts.), Nebraska-Kearney (106 pts.), Washburn (90 pts.) and Missouri Western (81 pts.). Central Missouri tallied five first-place votes, while UCO and UNK each garnered three first-place votes and Washburn gained one.

2024 MIAA VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Central Missouri [5] – 113 points
2. Central Oklahoma [3] – 110 points
3. Nebraska Kearney [3] – 106 points
4. Washburn [1] – 90 points
5. Missouri Western – 81 points
6. Northwest Missouri State – 68 points
7. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 62 points
8. Missouri Southern – 49 points
9. Emporia State – 39 points
10. Pittsburg State – 35 points
11. Fort Hays State – 28 points
12. Newman – 11 points 
[#] - Number of First-Place Votes

Head coach Amy Woerth has compiled an overall mark of 204-140 and has taken over as the program's all-time winningest coach. Woerth captured her 200th career win in a 3-0 victory at home vs. Fort Hays State to close out the 2023 regular season. Woerth moved past Sarah Pelster, who had collected a mark of 199-226 from 1991 to 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 five 20-win seasons in her tenure. 

Northwest Volleyball Coaching Victories
1. Amy Woerth (2012-current) - 204
2. Sarah Pelster (1991-2002) - 199
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) - .593 (204-140)
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)

Woerth added assistant coach Nick Sepulveda in the offseason after former assistant coach Jacquie Cason accepted the head women's volleyball coaching job at Missouri S&T in Rolla, Mo.

For the 11th straight year and 18th time overall, the Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team has been honored as a recipient of AVCA Team Academic Award sponsored by INTENT. 

The Bearcat volleyball team recorded a 3.87 cumulative team grade point average during the 2023-24 season. Northwest produced a 3.82 team GPA in the fall and a 3.92 team GPA in the spring. Northwest is one of 147 NCAA Division II schools to gain the AVCA Team Academic Award this year. Northwest is one of 31 NCAA Div. II schools to have captured the award in each of the past 11 seasons. Northwest is among 17 programs to have been a recipient of the AVCA Team Award 18 times or more and one of two MIAA schools (Emporia State) with 18 or AVCA Team Academic Awards.

For the sixth time in program history, Northwest also gained the AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll Award. The additional distinction of Team Academic Honor Roll celebrates programs in the top 20% of GPAs for their division. Northwest has gained the Team Academic Honor Roll in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024.