Weekly Schedule:
Friday, Sept. 23 – at #6 Washburn (Kan.); 7:00 pm; Topeka, Kan.
Saturday, Sept. 24 – at Fort Hays (Kan.) State; 2:00 pm; Hays, Kan.
Full Notes (PDF)
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - After opening the MIAA season last Saturday with a five-set thrilling victory, the 24th-ranked Truman volleyball team hits the road for a double test this weekend in central/western Kansas at No. 6 Washburn and Fort Hays State.
Backed by a career-high 18 kills from freshman Allie Brak and 31 combined kills from its middle hitters Megan Sharpe and Emily Briseno, Truman jumped back into the top-25 with its 3-2 win on Saturday against then-No. 22 Emporia State in front of nearly 1,600 fans in Pershing Arena. The Bulldogs (6-3, 1-0 MIAA) are now hitting .194 on the season while holding opponents to a .156 mark.
Sharpe has been the team's top offensive weapon through the first nine matches, as the two-time all-American is averaging nearly three kills per set at a .317 clip. She also ranks second on the team with 0.94 blocks per set. Despite playing in 13 fewer sets, Brak is second on the squad with a 2.65 kills/set mark, while Briseno (2.11 k/s) and senior Molly Sinclair (2.10 k/s) round out those at more than two kills per frame.
Senior Kylie Easlon and freshman Meghan Zimmerman continue to handle all the setting duties, with Easlon adding a team-high 13 service aces. Freshman Abby Moser is the team leader defensively at 5.73 digs/set, with six matches with 20 or more digs.
This week, Truman heads west for two more MIAA matches, starting at 7:00 pm on Friday night at No. 6 Washburn. The squad then continues its trek west to face Fort Hays State on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm.
Following the Bulldogs:
Full coverage of Truman volleyball is available online at TrumanBulldogs.com, including results, upcoming game information and weekly updates.
When available, links to free online live stats are added to the Bulldog volleyball schedule page as well as the top of each weekly update.
Keep up with the Bulldogs by tracking in-game updates (when available). Follow Truman Athletics on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TrumanAthletics. Also be sure to sign up for TextCaster updates on the Bulldog homepage.
Scouting the Lady Blues:
The No. 6 Washburn Lady Blues (8-1, 1-0 MIAA) welcome Truman to Lee Arena in Topeka on Friday night, having won seven in a row to start their season before falling to No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul in three sets in the championship match of the Colorado Premier on Sept. 10. WU rebounded with a 3-0 win against MSSU on Sept. 14 to open MIAA play and will travel to Northwest Missouri on Tuesday night before hosting the Bulldogs on Friday.
Washburn is hitting .225 as a team and has won 24 of the 31 sets they've played this season. Leading the offense are seniors Mollie Lacy (2.81 kills/set, .395 atk %) and Breanna Lewis (2.74 k/s, .341 atk %), while juniors Hillary Hughes and Jessica Fey are also adding more than two kills per set. The Lady Blues rank among the MIAA leaders in most offensive categories and are holding opponents to just a .129 mark defensively.
Chris Herron is in his 10th season with WU and has compiled a 287-53 mark at the school. He has 362 wins in 13 seasons as a collegiate coach.
The two teams split their matches last season, with each winning on their home court. Truman holds a 36-11 lead in the all-time series.
Scouting the Tigers:
After going 7-25 last season with an 0-20 MIAA mark, Fort Hays State is out to a 8-5 (0-3 MIAA) start in 2011. The Tigers swept a doubleheader on Monday night against NAIA-Bethany (Kan.) College and will host NWMSU and Truman this weekend.
The Tigers are hitting .180 as a team and are led by Kylee Hoagland's 2.41 kills/set average. She is the team leader with a .283 attack percentage and has been joined by a trio of regulars – Sara Hewson, Camille Hubert and Madison Schwartz – above two kills per set. FHSU has held opponents to just a .138 mark through 11 matches and features senior Tracie Hileman (5.39 digs/set) at libero, a converted hitter-turned-defensive specialist for the 2011 season.
Kurt Kohler is in his third season at FHSU and has compiled a 20-57 mark at the school.
Truman swept the two matches between the teams last season, including posting a 3-1 win in Hays. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 10-0.
Bulldogs Return to Top-25:
After a one-week absence, the Bulldogs returned to the AVCA top-25 this week, holding the No. 24 spot in the coaches' poll. Truman is one of three MIAA teams in the top-25, as the 'Dogs are joined by WU (No. 6) and Central Missouri (No. 8) as the conference's representatives.
Fellow regional foes West Texas A&M (No. 17) and Angelo (Texas) State (No. 18) are also listed in the top-25, with Truman meeting ASU next weekend at the Washburn Crossover.
Moser Sets Program Record:
For the third time in as many weeks to start the 2011 season, freshman Abby Moser was named the MIAA Volleyball Specialist of the Week. No player in Truman program history had received the conference's weekly honor three consecutive times prior to this week.
She also became the first Bulldog libero to win the award three times in one season and trails Rachel Shedd by two for the most all-time in a single-season by any Bulldog. Shedd was named Specialist of the Week five times in 2003.
She is averaging 5.78 digs per set through the first nine matches of 2011.
Will Dig for Points:
Truman is the top MIAA team in digs through the first three weeks, averaging 18.69 per set. That's also good for a top-15 national ranking.
Continuing the Tradition:
The Bulldogs rank 15th in Div. II?history in all-time appearances in the top-25 (156) and are tied for ninth all-time for times ranked in the top-10 (97). Since the year 2000, the 'Dogs have posted eight 30+ win seasons, a postseason appearance each season, two trips to the national championship match and seven MIAA?championships.
Bulldogs Tabbed Third in MIAA:
The Truman volleyball team was picked third in the 2011 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, announced Wednesday, Aug. 3 by the league office.
The Bulldogs earned 65 points in the poll, earning seven third-place votes and a pair of second-place votes. Truman fell in behind preseason favorite Central Missouri (81 points, nine first-place votes) and Washburn (73 points, one first-place vote). Emporia State (50) and Pittsburg State (47) rounded out the top five. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
The MIAA will play as a ten-team volleyball league in 2011 following the departure of Nebraska-Omaha in March. The only current league school not competing in volleyball is Lincoln (Mo.).
Up Next:
The Bulldogs return to Topeka next weekend for the annual WU Lady Blues Regional Crossover, where Truman will face four key opponents in its quest to reach the NCAA tournament. Truman faces No. 18 Angelo (Texas) State and Tarleton (Texas) State on Friday, Sept. 30, before battling Central Oklahoma and Abilene Christian (Texas) on Saturday, Oct. 1.
