Friday, Oct. 9, 6 p.m.
No. 5 Nebraska-Kearney at Northwest Missouri State | WATCH | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
 
Saturday, Oct. 10, 6 p.m.
Fort Hay State at Northwest Missouri State | WATCH | LIVE STATS | TICKETS 
PINK OUT MATCH

The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball squad will be in action at home this Friday and Saturday against No. 5-ranked Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State.
 
Both matches will begin at 6 p.m. in Bearcat Arena. On Saturday, anyone purchasing a football game ticket vs. Central Missouri will receive free admission to the volleyball match.
 
Northwest is 6-9 overall and 3-2 in MIAA play. UNK is 17-1 overall and a perfect 6-0 in MIAA action. FHSU is 14-6 overall and 3-3 in conference matches.
 
Northwest is coming off a 3-1 road win over Missouri Southern last Friday in Joplin, Mo. Northwest has scored MIAA victories over Central Oklahoma, Newman and Missouri Southern. The Bearcats have dropped MIAA matches to No. 8 Missouri Western and Central Missouri. Northwest sits in fifth place in the league standings. The top eight teams will qualify for the 2026 MIAA Tournament set for Nov. 12-14 at Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Mo.
 
Nebraska-Kearney holds a 31-5 lead in the all-time series vs. Northwest. The Lopers have won eight straight matchups against the 'Cats.
 
Northwest owns a 29-10-1 edge in the all-time series with Fort Hays State. FHSU has won two straight after a run of 15 consecutive wins by Northwest. Head coach Amy Woerth is 18-5 vs. FHSU.
 
The Bearcats rank No. 3 in team attacks per set (37.65) and No. 3 in the MIAA in services aces per match (1.73).


Northwest is 1-3 this season against nationally-ranked opponents. Northwest will play host to No. 5-ranked Nebraska-Kearney this Friday.
 
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 vs. No. 8 Missouri Western (Sept. 25)

Gabrielle Gartner leads the team with 139 kills (2.57 kills per set). Gartner ranks No. 2 on the team in blocks (26). Gartner has produced eight 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 106 kills (3.12 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 five double-figure kill matches this season.
 
Mya Karrick leads Northwest in assists and ranks No. 3 in the MIAA with 486 (8.84 assists per set). Karrick ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in service aces per set (0.44). Karrick has posted at least one service ace in 13 of the 15 matches this season. She ranks second on the team in digs (165 – 3.00 digs/set). Karrick has produced a team-high 10 double-doubles, including six straight matches entering Friday's match vs. No. 5 Nebraska-Kearney. 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.
 
Maddie Roenfeld is first on the team in blocks (35.0 – 0.71 blocks/set). Roenfeld ranks third 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).
 
Freshman Lily Zimmerman gained a career-high 17 digs in a four-set victory at Missouri Southern (Oct. 2). Zimmerman had registered five matches of 10 or more digs this season.
 
Ellery Luhring tops the team in digs (236 – 4.72 digs/set). Luhring has tallied five 20+ dig matches this season. She was credited with a career-high 31 digs in a five-set victory over Ouachita Baptist (Aug. 28). Luhring surpassed the 500-dig mark of her career at Central Misouri. Luhring has tallied 516 digs in 171 career matches (3.02 digs/set).
 
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 231 victories. She has a career mark of 231-174 and 137-110 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.