WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team picked up two key Region 16 victories on the road last week, defeating Mineral Area College (MAC) 25-12, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22 Thursday, Oct. 16, in Park Hills, Missouri, and Jefferson College 25-12, 17-25, 25-21, 26-24 Friday, Oct. 17, in Hillsboro, Missouri.
The wins up the 17th ranked Grizzlies’ season record to 19-12 as they head into tonight’s match against National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II powerhouse Kansas City Kansas Community College in Kansas City, Kansas.
Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said the region wins put the Grizzlies right where they want to be – as the No. 1 seed going into the Region 16 Championship Tournament Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Jefferson College in Hillsboro.
“These were really great wins, playing back-to-back region matches on the road, knowing what was at stake and getting through both of them the way we did, even though we probably didn’t play our best,” she said.
Although the Grizzlies handled both of their opponents pretty well in the first set of each match, the MAC Cardinals and Jefferson Vikings bounced right back to put the pressure on the Grizzlies. “We came out and played exceptionally well in both matches while our opponents struggled a little bit, but we told our players that wouldn’t last, and sure enough, they both turned around and started playing better, forcing us to make adjustments,” Wiedemann said. “I wasn’t thrilled there was a let-down by our players in the second sets, but I really like the way our girls responded after that. We kept fighting, and that’s something we didn’t do well at the beginning of the season.”
Both matches proved to be “gritty” contests for the Grizzlies, and against MAC, the Grizzlies faced a huge crowd, as the Cardinals were preparing for their Midnight Madness basketball activities following the match. “It was a great atmosphere,” the coach said.
Defense proved to be the key to the wins, as the Grizzlies dug 21.5 and 24 balls per set, respectively, against their opponents this weekend. “The way we’ve been playing defense has been key in recent games. It has allowed us to do what we do best offensively, when we play good defense,” Wiedemann said. “The lineup we’re in also has made a difference. The players’ feel for what each other is doing has improved. We’re digging a lot of balls around our block, and that has been the key.”
Statistical leaders for the Grizzlies against MAC included freshman middle attacker Penny Liu, who had 19 kills on 37 attempts with four errors for an attacking percentage of .405; freshman setter Susannah Kelley, who had 42 assists; sophomore outside hitter/defensive specialist Kaili Simmons, who had a passing rating of 2.61; freshman outside hitter Pulotu Manoa, who led the team in blocks with four, including three solos; freshman outside hitter Gabby Edmondson, who led the team in aces with two; and sophomore libero Alyssa Aldag, who led the team in digs with 32.
Against Jefferson, the Grizzlies were led by Liu, who had 21 kills on 35 attempts with four errors for an attacking percentage of .486; Kelley, who had 46 assists; Simmons, who had a passing rating of 2.77; redshirt freshman right side/middle attacker Ashley Bishton, who had three blocks; and Aldag, who had 25 digs.
“The players are pretty focused right now,” Wiedemann said. “Kansas City Kansas is still in the top 10 of the Division II standings, and it’s a home match for them, so this will be another test for us. But we need to play with pressure because that’s how you have to play at this point in the season.
“We need to remember that what we do on our side of the net matters. We’ve got to focus on what we do well and put it together. When we do, the other things take care of themselves,” she added.
For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball team, visit the team’s website at http://wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/vb/. Complete team statistics can be found at http://stats.njcaa.org/sports/wvball/2014-15/div1/teams/MissouriStateUniversityWestPlains.