MARYVILLE, Mo. — In the finale of the 2026 MIAA In-Season Tournament, the Central Missouri Jennies notched a three-set victory over the Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team in Bearcat Arena.
UCM moved its season mark to 14-9 overall. Northwest is 7-12 on the season. Northwest and UCM each served well in the matchup with each squad etching eight service aces. Northwest's
Ellery Luhring landed a match-high five aces.
Northwest made two pushes from early deficits in the first set, but UCM held off the comeback attempts and closed the set 25-17. Earlier, the Bearcats scored the first two points before the Jennies moved in front 8-3;
Sophia Gartner and
Chloee Hayes answered with kills, and
Ava Plassmeyer,
Abby Bulthuis and
Londyn Smith contributed during a stretch that brought Northwest within 9-7 on Smith's ace. After UCM rebuilt the margin to 14-9,
Ellery Luhring's serve produced four straight points, including three aces, to pull the Bearcats within 14-13. The Jennies answered by scoring five of the next six points for a 19-14 score, and Northwest added late kills from
Gabrielle Gartner and
Mya Karrick before the visitors finished the set.
The Bearcats' late response reached a 23-22 lead after they had trailed 22-20, with Bulthuis converting three consecutive kills from Karrick to complete the swing. Earlier, Karrick served an ace during a 2-0 start, and kills by
Gabrielle Gartner,
Sophia Gartner, Hayes,
Grace Thorne and Plassmeyer helped Northwest build a 13-9 edge. UCM answered with four straight points to tie the set at 13-13, then later moved in front 19-17 before
Sophia Gartner and Bulthuis kills evened it at 19-19. After Northwest took the 23-22 lead, the Jennies closed with a Kaelyn McDonald kill, a Shaye Koski kill and McDonald's service ace to take the set, 25-23.
In the third set, Northwest led 8-6 after an
Ellery Luhring service ace, but UCM answered with five straight points, including back-to-back aces from Kirsten Harper, to move in front 11-8. The Bearcats responded with a
Sophia Gartner kill from Karrick and a UCM attack error to tie the set at 11-11, then stayed within range as Bulthuis added three kills through the middle of the set. An
Elle Heckenlively ace pulled Northwest within 18-17, and
Sophia Gartner's kill followed by another Luhring ace later moved the score to 20-19. The Jennies scored the next four points, and after Gartner's kill made it 24-20, Ashlynn Jaccard closed out the 25-20 set for UCM.
Bulthuis led Northwest with 12 kills while hitting .440. Luhring recorded team highs with 20 digs and five service aces. Karrick finished with 21 assists, five digs and one ace.
Sophia Gartner added 10 kills and three digs.
Northwest will play host to Missouri Western Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.
