FAYETTE, Iowa – The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team moved its win streak to four in a row with a 3-1 triumph over the Winona State Warriors.
 
Northwest won by set scores of 25-23, 23-25, 25-15 and 25-20. The Bearcats are 6-4 on the season having won six of their last seven contests.
 
Senior Payton Kirchhoefer put up a match-high 19 kills and hit .311 to lead the Bearcats to the victory. Sophomore Ella Caffery dished out a team-best 25 assists to go along with five digs, three kills and a block. Senior libero Kyah Luhring was credited with 14 digs, giving her 998 career digs.
 
The Bearcats opened with a 25-23 win behind a .351 hitting percentage. Kirchhoefer hit .600 in the first set with seven kills and one attack error.
 
The Warriors leveled the match at a set each with a 25-23 victory in the second set. Northwest trailed 23-19 and rallied to knot the set at 23-23. However, Winona State scored the final two points of the set to take it. Northwest hit .053 with nine kills and seven errors, while Winona State hit .116 with 16 kills and 11 errors.
 
Northwest gained a win in the pivotal third set, 25-15. The Bearcats pounded out a .323 hitting effort with 13 kills and three errors on 31 swings.
 
Northwest closed out the four-set win with a 25-20 win in the fourth. The Bearcats were nearly flawless with 14 kills and one attack error on 32 attacks (.406 hitting percentage). Winona State hit .222 with 16 kills and eight errors.
 
Northwest will open up its home season and MIAA play Friday at 6 p.m. against the Washburn Ichabods in Bearcat Arena.