WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team didn’t drop a set while going undefeated this past weekend at the Grizzly Invitational in Joe Paul Evans Arena at the West Plains Civic Center.
The Grizzlies, now 18-9 and ranked 17th in the most recent National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I poll, beat Colby (Kansas) Community College 25-17, 25-23, 25-19 and No. 19 Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College 25-18, 25-20, 25-20 on Friday, Oct. 9, and Wallace State Community College-Hanceville (Alabama) 25-15, 28-26, 25-19 and Miami Dade College of Florida 25-22, 25-21, 26-24 on Saturday, Oct. 10.
“It was a good weekend,” Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said of her team’s effort. “To not drop a set against some very good teams shows just how well we played this past weekend.”
The Grizzlies started the tournament tight against Colby but ended on a good note with an impressive win over a feisty team. “The Colby game was a good one for us to start the tournament with. We were a little tight, so we were glad to get that one under our belt. Colby is a good team, we just created problems for them,” the coach said.
The Grizzlies expected the game against Hutchinson to be another five-set, barn-burner similar to the one the teams played at the Hutchinson Invitational in September, “but we came out and absolutely dominated,” Wiedemann said. “We played really well and totally took them out of their game. We were very efficient offensively. Four of our hitters, Gabby Edmonson, Zori Curry, Stephanie Phillips and Ashley Bishton each hit over .400 for the game and combined to produce almost 40 points with only three errors from their attacks.”
On Saturday, the Grizzlies faced a very athletic Wallace State team. “We had a good game plan, and the girls did an excellent job executing it. We made good adjustments against them and were able to keep up with their changes,” the coach said, pointing out Wallace State can go on a roll if given the chance.
The Grizzlies were expecting another tough match against Miami, which defeated the Grizzlies in a five-set thriller in September in Florida, and although it was exciting, the Grizzlies were able to overcome a 6-point deficit in the third set and put the game away in three.
“Even though they came in with some personnel issues, they played us very well,” Wiedemann said. “Our blocking wasn’t the best, but when we started digging the ball, they became impatient, started forcing things and made some errors that we used to our advantage. We took care of the ball better than they did, and that made the difference.
“I’m really proud of the way our players pulled together and worked through the problems in the third set to take the game in three,” she added. “Miami was serving well and we were hesitant. Once we stopped being hesitant, we got back into rhythm and were able to put the game away.”
Statistical leaders for the Grizzlies during the tournament included sophomore middle attacker Zori Curry, who had 38 kills, a .403 attacking percentage and 45 points earned; sophomore setter Susannah Kelley, who had 149 assists and six service aces; sophomore middle attacker Ashley Bishton, who had 7.5 blocks; and freshman libero Autumn Reese who had 58 digs.
In other tournament action, No. 15 Jefferson College, Hillsboro, who also competed in the six-team event, finished the weekend with a 3-1 record. Hutchinson and Wallace State each went 2-2 in the tournament, Miami posted a 1-3 record, and Colby went 0-4.
In Friday’s games, Wallace State defeated Hutchinson 25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 17-25, 15-10; Jefferson defeated Miami 27-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22 and Wallace State 26-24, 25-21, 25-14; and Miami defeated Colby 25-16, 25-20, 27-29, 25-21. On Saturday, Hutchinson defeated Jefferson 15-25, 30-28, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12; Wallace State downed Colby 25-19, 25-18, 25-20; Jefferson defeated Colby 25-17, 25-13, 25-17; and Hutchinson beat Miami 25-21, 25-22, 25-22.
It was fitting that the sophomores led the way for the Grizzlies this weekend. The group of seven was recognized Saturday for their contributions to the program. “They have done a lot for us. This group has become a part of our program, and we have become a part of them,” Wiedemann said. “I really think they’ve learned some things, the value of being a good teammate and a good representative of this campus and community. They’ve tried to do the right thing because they love this community and appreciate the opportunities they have in front of them.”
Wiedemann also praised the fantastic and supportive crowds that came to watch the Grizzlies in their final home matches of the season, as well as Colton’s Steak House and Grill and Troy and Vikki Witte of Lazy W Pallets for sponsoring the event. “We absolutely appreciate our sponsors. They have such a giving spirit. We can’t do what we do without their support, and the support they give allows us to do so many things that make a difference in our program,” the coach said. “And, as usual, our home crowd was amazing! The energy in the gym was exciting, and we appreciate how special they make our home court.”
The Grizzlies will close out the regular season with individual matches against Region 16 rivals Mineral Area College at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Park Hills and Jefferson College at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Hillsboro. Then, they will compete in the Jefferson College Halloween Classic Oct. 23 and 24 in Hillsboro.
“We have two really big region games coming up and one more tournament, then the postseason is here,” the coach said. “We’re not done. There’s an energy among the players right now that we can continue to build on, and I look forward to seeing where that will take us.”
For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball team, visit its website at http://wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/vb/.