WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team will take a 16-4 record into the Grizzly Invitational Tournament this weekend after posting a 3-1 record at the Tyler Junior College Invitational Friday and Saturday in Tyler, Texas.
The Grizzlies, ranked third in the nation, fell to No. 5 Panola College, Carthage, Texas, 25-22, 13-25, 23-25, 23-25 in their first game of the tournament Friday, but bounced back to defeat Navarro College, Corsicana, Texas, 25-12, 25-14, 25-19 later that same day. On Saturday, they defeated Seward County Community College, Liberal, Kansas, 26-24, 20-25, 25-15, 25-20 and New Mexico Military Institute, Roswell, 25-19, 25-20, 25-21.
“We played some very good teams this weekend, and we did some good things against them. Unfortunately, we didn’t do enough good things against Panola,” Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said. “Panola turned in what could have been the best team performance I’ve seen all year, and we couldn’t match it. They were in it from start to finish, while we struggled. We wanted to play this game. It was an opportunity to avenge a loss earlier in the season. But we didn’t come out the way we should have, and it was hard to take. We talk a lot about the intangibles that make the difference in games when the skill level is high on both sides. Panola won that part of the game hands down, and I hope we learned something from it.”
Panola’s passing and defense contributed to the Grizzlies’ struggles, Wiedemann said. “They’re a big team that blocked very well, and we didn’t hit efficiently. We made too many errors. Their defense made us impatient, and they created more opportunities to take another swing at the ball, and it paid off,” she explained. “It was a fantastic performance on their part. They did to us what we have been doing to other teams, and it works. It’s disappointing that we didn’t do what we have been doing so well.”
Although it was a hard way to start the weekend, the Grizzlies regrouped and played liked they needed to do against their remaining competitors. “We took care of business,” Wiedemann said. “Seward is a better team than it has been in recent years. They played very well. They’re very opportunistic, but we did the things we needed to do to control the game. New Mexico is a huge team, and they can do some very good things. We kept them out of system and made some good adjustments to their offensive presence.”
Sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Phillips and sophomore defensive specialist Maja Petronijevic saw significant court time at the tournament, and they made the most of it. “They played very good team volleyball. You never know how players will act when they are not on the floor during games, but they have done everything right. They put the work in during practice and they kept a great attitude. They continued to work hard for the team, and they took advantage of this opportunity to get in there and make a difference,” Wiedemann said. Phillips recorded 23 kills, two assists, one block and 10 digs for the tournament, while Petronijevic recorded 26 digs and two aces.
Offensive leaders for the Grizzlies included freshman outside hitter Catja Weijzen with 47 kills and freshman middle attacker Rachel Holthaus with 41. Sophomore setter Blanca Izquierdo led the team in assists with 156. Defensively, the Grizzlies were led by Holthaus and freshman outside hitter Adriana Darthuy with four blocks each, and sophomore libero Autumn Reese with 63 digs. Darthuy led the team in service aces with seven, and Weijzen led the team in points earned with 54.
The Grizzly Invitational, which is being sponsored by Lazy W Pallets, Colton’s Steakhouse & Grill, the City of West Plains, and the West Plains Civic Center, will take place Friday and Saturday, Oct. 7 and 8, in the civic center arena. Joining the Grizzlies on the court will be No. 19 Hutchinson Community College of Hutchinson, Kansas; No. 11 Jefferson College from Hillsboro; Navarro College; and New Mexico Military Institute.
Friday’s schedule has Hutchinson facing New Mexico at 10 a.m.; Jefferson vs. Navarro at noon; the Grizzlies vs. New Mexico at 2 p.m.; Hutchinson vs. Navarro at 4 p.m., and the Grizzlies vs. Jefferson at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jefferson and New Mexico play at 10 a.m., the Grizzlies face Navarro at noon, Hutchinson goes against Jefferson at 2 p.m., Navarro faces New Mexico at 4 p.m., and the Grizzlies take on Hutchinson at 6 p.m.
“We’re really excited to host the tournament and invite everyone to come out and watch some great teams compete,” Wiedemann said. “We’d also like to thank our sponsors for their support. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to host events such as this.”
For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball team, visit its website.