Friday, Oct. 30, 6 p.m.
Northeastern State at Northwest Missouri State | WATCH | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
 
Saturday, Oct. 31, 7 p.m.
Arkansas-Fort Smith at Northwest Missouri State | WATCH | LIVE STATS | TICKETS

The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball squad take to its home court for the final time this Friday and Saturday with matches against Northeastern State and Arkansas-Fort Smith.
 
Northwest seniors Mya Karrick, Gabrielle Gartner and Sophia Gartner will be honored prior to the UAFS match Saturday as a part of Senior Night festivities. Northwest will grant free admission to volleyball on Saturday with a purchase of a football ticket earlier in the day vs. Emporia State.
 
Northwest and Northeastern State will meet for the first time as the RiverHawks added volleyball this season. The RiverHawks are 1-21 overall and 0-8 in MIAA play. The RiverHawks have lost 14 straight matches entering Friday's matchup in Bearcat Arena.
 
Northwest will honor a trio of seniors on Saturday night at 7 p.m. when the Bearcats take on the Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions. UAFS is 17-11 overall and 2-6 in MIAA play this season. UAFS's two conference wins came against Missouri Southern (W, 3-0) and Northeastern State (W, 3-0). The Lions have lost five straight MIAA matches by 3-0 scores since the victories over MSSU and NSU. UAFS holds a 2-1 series lead over Northwest. The teams are 1-1 against each other as MIAA opponents with the home team winning each match.
 
Northwest is 7-14 overall and 4-4 in MIAA play. The Bearcats are in a tie for seventh place in the MIAA standings. Northwest is ½ game behind Central Oklahoma and Central Missouri for fifth place. Northwest is two wins away from clinching a berth for the 2026 MIAA Tournament. The top eight teams will qualify for the 2026 MIAA Tournament set for Nov. 12-14 at Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Mo.
 
The Bearcats rank No. 2 in team attacks per set (39.05) and No. 2 in the MIAA in services aces per match (1.64).
 
Northwest is 1-7 this season against nationally-ranked opponents. Northwest will play a pair of ranked foes this week in Missouri Western and Washburn.
 
Northwest vs. Ranked Foes in 20216
L, 3-0 vs. No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State (Sept. 4)
W, 3-2 vs. No. 22 Central Oklahoma (Sept. 17)
L, 3-1 vs. No. 15 Washburn (Sept. 22)
L, 3-0 at No. 8 Missouri Western (Sept. 25)
L, 3-1 vs. No. 5 Nebraska-Kearney (Oct. 9)
L, 3-0 vs. No. 18 Emporia State (Oct. 16)
L, 3-0 vs. No. 11 Missouri Western (Oct. 23)
L, 3-0 at No. 15 Washburn (Oct. 24)

Gabrielle Gartner leads the team with 198 kills (2.71 kills per set). Gartner ranks No. 2 on the team in blocks (33). Gartner has produced 12 double-figure kill matches this season. Gartner tied her career-high with 16 kills and set a new personal best with 16 digs in a five-set match with Oklahoma Christian (Sept. 5). Gartner collected her first career double-double with 16 kills and 16 digs against OCU. Gartner has earned all-tournament team honors at the McKendree Invitational and the Griffon Classic.
 
Sophia Gartner ranks No. 2 on the team with 168 kills (3.23 kills/set). Gartner blasted a career-high 23 kills in a five-set win over No. 22-ranked Central Oklahoma. Gartner added 16 kills in a four-set victory vs. Newman and 17 kills in a four-set loss to No. 15-ranked Washburn. Gartner set a career-high with seven blocks vs. Newman. She has nine double-figure kill matches this season and has reached 10 or more kills in five of her last seven matches.
 
Mya Karrick leads Northwest in assists and ranks No. 4 in the MIAA with 635 (8.58 assists per set). Karrick ranks No. 4 in the MIAA in service aces per set (0.38). She ranks second on the team in digs (220 – 2.97 digs/set). Karrick has produced a team-high 13 double-doubles. She notched a career-high 17 digs vs. at Missouri Southern (Oct. 2). She also landed a season-best five service aces vs. Ouachita Baptist. She has dished out a season-high 51 assists vs. Ouachita Baptist (Aug. 28) and vs. Oklahoma Christian (Sept. 5). Karrick gained all-tournament team status at the McKendree Invitational. Karrick was named the MIAA Setter of the Week after she led the Bearcats to a 2-0 start to MIAA with victories over No. 22-ranked Central Oklahoma and Newman. Karrick had 40 assists, two blocks, a kill and a service ace in the five-set win over No. 22 Central Oklahoma. Karrick contributed with 44 assists, four kills, a block and a service ace in a four-set triumph over Newman.
 
Freshman setter Londyn Smith collected a career-high 25 assists in a four-set match vs. No. 5-ranked Nebraska-Kearney (Oct. 9). Smith has seen action in nine matches this season.
 
Abby Bulthuis ranks third on the squad in kills (122 – 2.03 kills/set). Bulthuis broke out with a season-high 19 kills (one off her career high) against No. 5-ranked Nebraska-Kearney (Oct. 9). Bulthuis has notched five matches of 10 or more kills this season. She has produced 10 or more kills in four of her last five matches. Bulthis recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 17 digs at Fort Hays State (Oct. 10).
 
Maddie Roenfeld is first on the team in blocks (35.0 – 0.71 blocks/set). Roenfeld ranks fourth on the team in kills (81). Roenfeld notched a season-high 10 kills vs. Oklahoma Christian (Sept. 5). Roenfeld added nine kills in a five-set win vs. Central Oklahoma (Sept. 17). Roenfeld gained a season-high eight blocks in a four-set triumph vs. Newman (Sept. 18).
 
Junior Chloee Hayes posted a career-high 10 kills in a four-set win at Missouri Southern (Oct. 2). Hayes landed nine kills and hit .643 in a three-game sweep of Fort Hays State (Oct. 10).
 
Freshman Lily Zimmerman gained a career-high 17 digs in a four-set victory at Missouri Southern (Oct. 2). Zimmerman had registered seven matches of 10 or more digs this season.
 
Ellery Luhring tops the team in digs (364 – 5.28 digs/set). She ranks second in the MIAA in digs per set (5.28). Luhring was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week after she collected 34 digs to set the school record for digs in a three-set match vs. Missouri Western. Luhring has tallied nine 20+ dig matches this season. She has two 30-plus dig matches this season against Ouachita Baptist (31) and Missouri Western (34). Luhring has tallied 644 digs in 56 career matches (3.39 digs/set).
 
Luhring's 5.28 digs per set average would rank as the fourth-best single season in Bearcat history.
 
Northwest Digs Per Set (Single Season)
1. Tori Beckman (2012)         6.02 (716-119)
2. Olivia Nowakowski (2017) 5.54 (643-116)
3. Paige Spangenberg (2008) 5.45 (654-120)
4. Ellery Luhring (2026)         5.28 (364-69)
5. Kyah Luhring (2024)          5.25 (562-107)
 
Luhring's 34 digs vs. No. 11-ranked Missouri Western bested the previous mark of 31 set by her sister, Kyah, against Newman on Sept. 22, 2023. The 34 digs by Luhring are the most by an NCAA Div. II player this season. She had 14 digs in the first set, five in the second and 15 in the third against the Griffons on Oct. 20 in Bearcat Arena.

Most Digs 3-Set Match
1. 34, Ellery Luhring vs. Missouri Western (Oct. 20, 2026)
2. 31, Kyah Luhring vs. Newman (Sept. 22, 2023)
3. 28, Paige Spangenberg vs. Washburn (Nov. 18, 2010)
    28, Kyah Luhring vs. Central Oklahoma (Nov. 2, 2022)
5. 27, Becky Brown vs. Missouri Western (Oct. 27, 1993)
    27, Kyah Luhring vs. Fort Hays State (Nov. 4, 2023)
 
Northwest was selected to finish ninth in the 2026 MIAA volleyball preseason coaches poll. The MIAA regular season champion will be crowned with each league member playing 12 conference matches in 2026.
 
2026 MIAA VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
T1. Washburn [5] – 134 points
T1. Nebraska Kearney [4] – 134 points
3. Missouri Western [2] – 123 points
4. Emporia State [2] – 107 points 
5. Central Oklahoma – 104 points
6. Central Missouri – 90 points
7. Pittsburg State – 81 points
8. Fort Hays State – 63 points
9. Northwest Missouri – 57 points
10. Missouri Southern – 46 points
11. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 40 points
12. Newman – 23 points
13. Northeastern State – 12 points 
[#] - First Place Votes
 
Head coach Amy Woerth is in her 15th season at the helm of the Bearcat volleyball program. She is Northwest's all-time volleyball coaching wins leader with 232 victories. She has a career mark of 232-179 and 138-113 in MIAA play. She is a two-time MIAA Coach of Year (2018, 2022). Northwest captured the 2022 MIAA regular season title – the first conference crown in program history. Woerth has led the Bearcats to five 20-win seasons in her tenure. 
 
For the 13th straight year and 20th 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 2025-26 season. Northwest produced a 3.82 team GPA in the fall and a 3.91 team GPA in the spring. For the eighth 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, 2025 and 2026.