WARRENSBURG, Mo. — The University of Central Missouri prevailed in three sets against the visiting Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team Tuesday at the Jerry M. Hughes Athletic Center.
The Jennies captured the MIAA matchup by scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 25-14. UCM is 12-6 overall and 4-1 in MIAA play. Northwest is 5-9 overall and 2-2 in league matches.
Northwest finished with seven service aces and 64 digs but hit .078, including .000 in the third set. Northwest sided out at a 46.6% clip in the match compared to 64.2% for UCM.
Gabrielle Gartner led Northwest with 10 kills while hitting .286.
Mya Karrick finished with 27 assists, 10 digs and three kills. Karrick collected her fifth straight double-double and team-leading ninth on the season.
Ellery Luhring recorded a team-high 24 digs and added two service aces. Luhring has produced five 20-plus dig matches this season, including three in the last four matches.
Chloee Hayes posted four total blocks and added three kills.
Northwest battled back from an early 4-0 hole and got within 5-4 after a
Sophia Gartner kill, a
Lily Zimmerman service ace, a
Gabrielle Gartner kill and a Jennies attack error.
Mya Karrick handled the distribution for the Bearcats, assisting kills by
Gabrielle Gartner,
Maddie Roenfeld,
Chloee Hayes and
Abby Bulthuis as Northwest continued to answer through the middle of the set. UCM created more separation late, moving ahead 20-14 and then 23-15, but
Elle Heckenlively came off the bench with two kills and
Gabrielle Gartner added two more in the closing stretch. Northwest scored four of five points to move from 23-15 to 24-19 before the Jennies finished the set 25-19.
Northwest repeatedly worked back into the second set, tying it at 4-4, 8-8, 9-9 and 16-16, but UCM scored the final three points to take the set 25-21. After falling behind 4-1, Heckenlively and
Gabrielle Gartner delivered kills before a block by Gartner and Hayes evened the score at 4-4.
Ellery Luhring later served an ace to tie it at 8-8, and Gartner followed with another kill to bring Northwest level again at 9-9. The Jennies moved ahead 16-13 before Northwest answered with three straight points on a UCM error, a Heckenlively ace and a Hayes block. Roenfeld kills pulled the Bearcats within 21-20 and 22-21 late, but the Jennies closed the set with a kill and back-to-back service aces.
The Bearcats cut a 9-4 deficit to 9-7 in the third set, with Karrick putting down a kill, Roenfeld and
Jada Smith combining on a block, and another UCM attack error bringing the visitors within two. The Jennies answered with six straight points to move ahead 15-7, a stretch that included kills from Shaye Koski and Grace Wagers along with several Northwest Mo. St. attack errors. Northwest followed with three straight points on a Karrick kill, a Heckenlively kill and a
Lauren Schnettler service ace to make it 15-10. After UCM stretched the lead to 22-11, Northwest Mo. St. got a Jennies attack error and another Karrick kill, and Heckenlively added one final kill before UCM finished the set 25-14.
Northwest will head to Joplin, Mo., to face Missouri Southern on Friday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m.
