Thursday, Sept. 18 – Prairie Star Classic (The Recreation and Athletic Center – Springfield, Ill.)
Northwest Missouri State at Illinois-Springfield, 6 p.m.
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Friday, Sept. 19 – Prairie Star Classic (The Recreation and Athletic Center – Springfield, Ill.)
Northwest Missouri State vs. Maryville, 1 p.m.
LIVE STATS
 
The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team is off to a 5-2 start and will travel to Springfield, Ill., for the Prairie Stars Classic this Thursday and Friday.
 
Northwest will match up against Illinois-Springfield Thursday at 6 p.m., followed by a Friday 1 p.m. matinee vs. Maryville University.
 
The Bearcats produced a 3-1 mark at the Drury Invitational with triumphs over Lane (W, 3-0), East Central (W, 3-0) and Cameron (W, 3-1). Northwest dropped a five-set decision to tournament host Drury on Friday. Northwest seniors Kasidy Mohwinkle and Ella Caffery collected All-Tournament team honors for the second straight week.
 
Northwest holds a 2-0 lead in the all-time series with Illinois-Springfield. The Bearcats scored 3-0 wins over the Prairie Stars in Memphis, Tenn., in 2009 and in Tampa, Fla., in 2021. Illinois-Springfield is 6-1 on the year with its only loss coming to Central Missouri in the season opener on Sept. 5. The Prairie Stars will enter Thursday's match riding a six-match winning streak.
 
It will mark only the second meeting between Northwest and Maryville on the volleyball court. Northwest scored a 3-2 win over Maryville on Sept. 3, 2016, in St. Charles, Mo. Maryville is 2-5 on the season with wins over Southern Nazarene and Bemidji State.
 
Northwest ranks No. 9 in the nation in kills per set (14.58). The Bearcats rank third in the MIAA behind Nebraska-Kearney (15.00) and Fort Hays State (14.74).
NCAA Div. II Team Kills Per Set Leaders
1. 15.33 – Point Loma
2. 15.07 – Southwest Minnesota State
3. 15.00 – Nebraska-Kearney
4. 14.83 – Findlay
5. 14.80 – Concordia-St. Paul
6. 14.76 – Wingate
7. 14.74 – Fort Hays State
8. 14.71 – St. Cloud State
9. 14.48 – Northwest Missouri State
10. 14.57 – Northern State

Senior setter Ella Caffery ranks No. 11 in the nation in assists per set. Caffey ranks third in the MIAA by averaging 10.71 assists per set.
 
NCAA Div. II Individual Assists Per Set Leaders
1. 12.52 - Ava Nilsson (Northern State)
2. 12.30 – Sydney Thein (Southwest Minnesota State)
3. 11.83 – Emma White (Findlay)
4. 11.80 – Ava Jones (Minnesota-Duluth)
5. 11.70 – Caitlin Bishop (UMSL)
6. 11.52 – Lindsey Houran (Central Oklahoma)
7. 11.52 – Sophia Baugh (Point Loma)
8. 11.52 – Alayna Guerrero (Midwestern State)
9. 11.27 – Peyton Neff (Nebraska-Kearney)
10. 10.77 – Kiylah Franke (Augustana)
11. 10.71 – Ella Caffery (Northwest Missouri State)
 
Caffery landed three more double-doubles at the Drury Invitational to give her 21 career double-doubles. Caffery dished out a season-high 54 assists in a four-set win over Cameron (Sept. 13). Caffery collected a career-high 23 digs in a 3-0 win over East Central (Sept. 13). Caffery has been credited with 30 or more assists in five of Northwest's seven matches this season. Caffery tallied at least four kills in every match and is hitting .373 on the year. She posted a season-high seven kills in a five-set match with Drury (Sept. 12). Caffery ranks second on the team in digs (89).
Northwest's Double-Doubles in 2025 (Career)
Ella Caffery – 4 (21)
Elle Heckenlively – 1 (1)
Kasidy Mohwinkle – 1 (1)
 
Kasidy Mohwinkle has produced a team-best 70 kills (3.18 kills/set) and 76.0 points through the first seven matches this season. Mohwinkle collected a career-high 17 kills and 16 digs for her first career double-double in a four-set win vs. Cameron (Sept. 13). She has tallied four double-figure kill matches this year, including a streak of three in a row heading into this week's slate of matches. Mohwinkle is hitting .352, which ranks No. 14 in the MIAA.
 
Abby Bulthuis ranks No. 2 on the team with 65 kills (2.83 kills/set and has scored 75.0 points. She is tied for the team lead in service aces (8). Bulthuis has produced four matches of double-figure kills, including a pair of season-high 13 kill-efforts against Cameron (Sept. 6 & Sept. 13). Bulthuis has tallied three matches of nine digs this season.
 
Kate Frakes is third on the squad in kills (56) and second on the team in blocks (9). Frakes has reached double figures in kills twice with 13 vs. Arkansas Tech (Sept. 5) and 11 vs. Cameron (Sept. 13). Frakes posted a season-high three blocks at Drury (Sept. 12).
 
Karsen VanScoy has been credited with 10 or more digs in all seven matches this season. VanScoy has collected 17 career double-figure dig matches. VanScoy leads the team with 92 digs (3.83 digs/set).
 
Natalie Herrington leads the squad with 11 blocks. Herrington notched six of her blocks in a five-set match at Drury (Sept. 12). Herrington put down a career-high 12 kills in a four-set win over Cameron (Sept. 13).
 
For the 12th straight year and 19th 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 3.86 cumulative team grade point average during the 2024-25 season. Northwest produced a 3.82 team GPA in the fall and a 3.91 team GPA in the spring. Northwest is one of 159 NCAA Division II schools to gain the AVCA Team Academic Award this year. Northwest is one of 33 NCAA Div. II schools to have captured the award in each of the past 12 seasons. Northwest is among 16 programs to have been a recipient of the AVCA Team Award 19 times or more and one of two MIAA schools (Emporia State) with 19 or AVCA Team Academic Awards.
 
For the seventh 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, 2024 and 2025. Northwest is one of 12 Div. II programs to have received the Team Academic Honor Roll in each of the past two seasons.
 
Northwest is led by 14th-year head coach Amy Woerth. Woerth has produced a program-record 221 career victories. She holds a .596 winning percentage. In the offseason, coach Woerth represented USA D-2 Volleyball in a tour of Brazil. She brought along seniors Kasidy Mohwinkle and Ella Caffery. The Bearcat trio did not lose any matches in Brazil.
 
Woerth has compiled an overall mark of 221-150 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. 
 
Woerth ranks No. 4 in career wins among active MIAA coaches. Nebraska-Kearney's Rick Squires (1,019), Washburn's Chris Herron (720) and Central Oklahoma's Edgar Miraku (315) are the only active MIAA coaches with more victories.

Northwest Volleyball Coaching Victories
1. Amy Woerth (2012-current) - 221
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) - .596 (221-150)
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)
 
Northwest had its first season of volleyball in 1975. This 2025 season will mark 50 years of Bearcat volleyball action. Northwest went 7-14 for head coach Theresa Hospodarski in 1975. Northwest has had 11 head coaches in program history. Current head coach Amy Woerth is the program's leader in victories with a mark of 216-148 (.593). Sarah Pelster has coached the most matches in school history at 450 as she was leading the program from 1991-2002.