Volleyball Week 9 Notes: vs. SBU | at MWSU

Weekly Schedule:
Saturday, Oct. 27 – vs. Southwest Baptist – Kirksville, Mo. – 6:00 pm
Live Stats | Live Video

Tuesday, Oct. 30 – at Missouri Western – St. Joseph, Mo. – 7:00 pm
Live Stats | Live Video

PDF Notes
Twitter: @TrumanVB

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - Winners of 13 straight, the 17^th-ranked Truman volleyball team will look to run it to 15 in a row when it hosts Southwest Baptist on Saturday night at 6:00 pm before traveling to Missouri Western on Tuesday, Oct. 30, for a 7:00 pm showdown with the Griffons.

Truman (22-4, 10-2 MIAA) jumped three spots in the AVCA top-25 coaches' poll after winning a pair of matches against Pittsburg State and Central Oklahoma during Homecoming weekend, then got this week off to a fast start with a clean sweep of Lindenwood on Tuesday. The Bulldogs hit .234 in the three matches, holding the three opponents to a collective .083, with Abby Heise hitting .446 and Allie Brak putting down nearly four kills per set. Megan Sharpe blocked 18 total attacks (1.64/set) and added 3.18 kills/set during the trio of matches, while Meghan Zimmerman earned her second straight MIAA Specialist of the Week honors by averaging 11.36 assists and 3.64 digs per set.

On the season, the Bulldogs are hitting .240 as a team, averaging 13.2 kills per set, 17.2 digs per set and 2.1 blocks per set. The 13-match win streak is the longest since a 36-match streak in 2006, and the 'Dogs are 19-2 this season in matches that end in the third (11-2) or fourth (8-0) sets.

The Bulldogs are coached by Ben Briney, who, in his fourth season at the helm, has compiled an overall record of 91-39.

Weekly Recap with Coach Briney:
To watch this week's weekly recap with coach Ben Briney, click the video link below. If the video is not appearing, please access the full weekly notes at TrumanBulldogs.com.

Following the Bulldogs:
Full coverage of Truman volleyball is available online at TrumanBulldogs.com, including results, upcoming match 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-match updates (when available). Follow Truman Athletics on Twitter (@TrumanAthletics). Also be sure to sign up for Text Caster and Newsletter updates on the TrumanBulldogs.com homepage.

Bulldogs Raising Breast Cancer Awareness:
Saturday night's match against Southwest Baptist will denote the team's annual “Dig Pink” match for breast cancer awareness. Fans that wear pink will be allowed free admission, and donations will be collected at each ticket station for donations to local breast cancer foundations.

In addition, “Healthy Woman”, a branch of the Northeast Regional Medical Center that empowers women with the confidence to make informed health care decisions for themselves and their families, will be on hand to provide educational information about breast cancer.

The Bulldogs will be having drawings throughout the night for items donated by local businesses, as well as t-shirt sales. For more information, contact assistant coach Megan Wargo-Kearney at mwargo@truman.edu.

Bulldogs Move up Three Spots in AVCA Top-25:
The Bulldogs moved up to No. 17 in the AVCA top-25 coaches' poll, the highest spot for the program since week 9 (Nov. 1) of the 2010 season when the 'Dogs were listed at No. 16. Truman has been listed in the top-25 158 times since the 2000 season, one the highest totals in all of Division II.

Truman is one of four MIAA teams to be listed in the poll, joining No. 3 Washburn, No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney and No. 7 Central Missouri. The Bulldogs are one of nine teams from the Central region in the poll, as the Northern Sun Conference has representation from No. 1 Southwest Minnesota State, No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul, No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth, No. 14 Minnesota State and No. 18 Wayne (Neb.) State.

With the Central region only selecting eight teams, it's highly possible that a Central region team currently listed in the top-20 in the nation will not qualify for the national tournament.

However, the AVCA poll has no bearing on tournament selection, with the NCAA's first set of regional polls not set to debut until Wednesday, Oct. 31.

Chasing Career Marks:
Two seniors and two sophomores are making noise on the all-time career charts. Their numbers are outlined below.

Megan Sharpe-
Kills – 1,366 (7^th) – Next: Jessica Sears (1,644 – 2001-04)
Hitting Percentage - .344 (1^st) – 2^nd: Allie Cherven (.317 – 2006-08)
10+ Kill Matches – 73 (7^th) – Next: Two players (84)
Blocks – 469 (5^th) – Next: Jennifer Sigman (470 – 1994-97); Allie Cherven (505)
Sets Played – 468 (NR) – 10^th: Two Players (472)

Emily Briseno-
Blocks – 351 (9^th) – Next: Micaela Walter (364 – 2002-05)

Abby Moser-
Digs – 1,115 (NR) – 10^th: Janelle Zehr (1,304 – 1997-00)
Digs/set – 4.91 (1^st) – 2^nd: Casey Bruno (4.50 – 2007-10)
10+ Dig Matches – 53 (NR) – 10^th: Satoko Miyame (57 – 1990-93)
20+ Dig Matches – 26 (2^nd) – 1^st: Whitney Boehler (28 – 2005-08)
30+ Dig Matches – 3 (T-1^st)

Meghan Zimmerman-
Assists – 1,595 (10^th) – Next: Kelsey Wackerman (1,788 – 2003-06)

Checking Out the Competition:
Southwest Baptist “Bearcats” (9-18, 1-11 MIAA)
SBU enters the weekend having lost five of its last six contests and will play at Central Missouri on Friday night before trekking to Kirksville for Saturday evening's match. The Bearcats have won just once in MIAA play, taking a 3-1 win against winless-Missouri Southern on October 2.

The Bearcats are hitting .153 on the season and averaging 11.0 kills/set, 15.4 digs/set and 2.0 blocks/set. Jordan Nedbalek is the team's offensive leader at 2.11 k/s and .284 hitting, while also providing the top blocking mark at 1.03/set. A two-setter system has SBU averaging 10.12 assists/set, while Kaitlyn Allison averages 4.15 digs/set on the back line.

Truman took a 3-0 sweep in Bolivar on Sept. 15, in a match that saw the Bulldogs only hit .180. Allie Brak had nine kills and Kassi Schroeder added eight for the 'Dogs.

The Bulldogs hold a 52-6 lead in the all-time series with SBU, having won 47 straight dating back to November 1988. Kelly Richardson is in her sixth season as the program's head coach.

Missouri Western “Griffons” (12-13, 3-9 MIAA)
MWSU will be looking to snap a five-match losing skid before hosting Truman next Tuesday night, as the Griffons travel to winless Missouri Southern on Friday evening prior to the Bulldog visit. The Griffons are 3-5 at home this season, having picked up wins against Lindenwood, MSSU and SBU.

The Griffons are hitting .180 on the year and averaging 12.5 kills/set, 16.1 digs/set and 1.8 blocks/set. Jessie Thorup (2.27 k/s) and Amanda Boender (2.16 k/s) are the top offensive weapons, while Stephanie Hattey (1.92 k/s, 6.44 a/s, 2.96 d/s) is an all-around contributor to the MWSU system.

Truman won a 3-1 contest on Sept. 28 in Pershing Arena, as the Bulldogs hit .250 for the match and out-blocked MWSU 10.5-5. Allie Brak had 19 kills and 14 digs, while Abby Heise (11) and Ali Patterson (10) also reached double-figures.

The Bulldogs have a 44-21 all-time lead against MWSU. Cory Frederick is in his fourth season in St. Joseph and has a record of 49-69 at the school.

Up Next:
The final regular season home weekend is in store next Friday and Saturday, as the Bulldogs will host Missouri Southern on Friday, Nov. 2 at 7:00 pm before welcoming 7^th-ranked Central Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 3:00 pm. Saturday will serve as the program's Senior Day, with the Bulldogs set to recognize its four seniors prior to first serve.

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