Sept. 25, 6 p.m. (St. Joseph, Mo. - MWSU Fieldhouse)
Northwest Missouri State at No. 8 Missouri Western  
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The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team will put its 2-0 MIAA mark on the line Friday at 6 p.m. against the No. 8-ranked Missouri Western Griffons at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
 
The Bearcats are 5-7 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play. The Griffons are 12-1 overall and 2-0 in league matches. The Griffons have won five matches in a row after dropping their only decision of the season in five sets to Rockhurst on Sept. 5.
 
Northwest has scored MIAA victories over Central Oklahoma and Newman. The Bearcats dropped a four-set match at home Tuesday against No. 15-ranked Washburn in a non-conference tilt.
 
Missouri Western holds a 76-41 lead in the all-time series with Northwest. The Griffons have scored wins in four of the last five matchups with the Bearcats. Northwest head coach Amy Woerth is 14-13 vs. Missouri Western.
 
Northwest is 1-2 this season against nationally-ranked opponents.
 
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. 8 Washburn (Sept. 22)
 
The Bearcats rank No. 5 in the MIAA in services aces per match (1.64).
 
Sophia Gartner has posted 56 kills in her last three matches. Gartner had tallied 34 kills in her previous five matches this season. 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. Gartner ranks second on the team with 90 kills (3.46 kills per set). She ranks No. 8 in the MIAA in points scored per set (3.65).
 
Gabrielle Gartner leads the team with 117 kills (2.66 kills per set). 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.
 
Mya 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. Karrick leads Northwest in assists and ranks No. 2 in the MIAA with 421 (9.36 assists per set). Karrick ranks tied for No. 1 in the MIAA in service aces per set (0.49) with Missouri Western's Holly Heldt. Karrick has posted at least one service ace in 11 of the 12 matches this season. She ranks second on the team in digs (128 – 2.84 digs/set). Karrick has produced a team-high seven double-doubles this season. She notched a career-high 16 digs vs. Newman (Sept. 18). 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.
 
Maddie Roenfeld is first on the team in blocks (32.0 – 0.73 blocks/set). Roenfeld ranks third on the team in kills (75). 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).
 
Ellery Luhring tops the team in digs (198 – 4.50 digs/set). Luhring has produced three straight 20+ dig matches with 26 vs. No. 22 Central Oklahoma, 24 vs. Newman and 25 vs. No. 15 Washburn. She was credited with a career-high 31 digs in a five-set victory over Ouachita Baptist (Aug. 28).
 
Natalie Herrington contributed eight kills and eight blocks on a four-set victory over Newman (Sept. 18). Herrington ranks No. 3 on the team in blocks (19).
 
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 230 victories. She has a career mark of 230-171 and 136-107 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.