Women's Volleyball 9/10/2012 3:44:00 PM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Volleyball Week 3 Notes: MIAA Play Opens with Three Matches

Full Notes (PDF)

Weekly Schedule:
Tuesday, Sept. 11 – at Lindenwood – 7:00 pm – St. Charles, MO
Live Stats | Live Video

Friday, Sept. 14 – vs. #5 Washburn – 7:00 pm – KIRKSVILLE
Live Stats | Live Video

Saturday, Sept. 15 – at Southwest Baptist – 6:00 pm – Bolivar, Mo.
Live Stats | Live Video

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - Coming off its second straight 3-1 weekend of non-conference play, the Truman volleyball team jumps head-first into MIAA action this week with three matches in five days beginning Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs (6-2, 0-0 MIAA) travel to MIAA-newcomer Lindenwood on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm before returning to Kirksville for a 7:00 pm match on Friday night against No. 5 Washburn. Truman closes the weekend on Saturday evening in Bolivar, Mo., with a 6:00 pm match at Southwest Baptist.

Truman picked up three wins to start the Nebraska-Kearney Invitational last Friday-Saturday, beginning with a 3-1 victory against St. Cloud (Minn.) State and a 3-0 sweep of Maryville (Mo.) on Friday. Then, on Saturday, the Bulldogs downed Northern (S.D.) State in three before being swept by then-No. 13 Minnesota State in the finale.

For the weekend, Truman hit .213 as a team and held opponents to a .129 mark. Sophomore OH Allie Brak averaged 3.77 kills and 2.69 digs per set in her first match-action of the season, while senior MH Megan Sharpe averaged 2.33 kills and 1.22 blocks per set.

The Bulldogs are coached by Ben Briney, who, in his fourth season at the helm, has compiled an overall record of 75-37 (.670).

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.

Checking Out the Competition:
Lindenwood “Lions” (5-3, 0-0 MIAA)
The Lindenwood University Lions will play the first MIAA match in program history on Tuesday night when Truman visits Robert F. Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo., for a 7:00 pm match. Currently in transition from NAIA to NCAA Div. II, the Lions have posted a 5-3 record through two weekends of action, including a 2-2 mark at the Arkansas Tech Invitational last weekend.

The Lions are hitting .184 as a team and averaging 12.9 kills per set behind a balanced four-headed attack. Freshman MH Kayla Guyot (2.70 kills/set), senior OH Kelsey Kennedy (2.58 k/s), senior MH Katie Weber (2.42 k/s) and freshman OH Kristin Burnett (2.14 k/s) lead the Lion offense, with sophomore Emma Brydels (10.00 assists/set) handling the setting duties.

Truman and Lindenwood will be meeting for just the second time in program history, with the Bulldogs having earned a 3-2 win against the Lions on Oct. 14, 2011 in Russellville, Ark. The Bulldogs set a program five-set record with 21 blocks in that match last season.

Ron Young is in his 11^th season as the head coach of the Lindenwood program with an overall record of 314-114. Former Truman all-American Allie Cherven is a graduate assistant with the LU program.

Washburn “Lady Blues” (8-0, 0-0 MIAA)
The fifth-ranked Washburn volleyball squad enters the first week of MIAA play with a nearly unblemished slate, having not only gone 8-0 overall but also having lost just one set in eight matches. The Lady Blues host Emporia State on Tuesday before traveling to Kirksville on Friday night.

The Lady Blues are hitting .271 as a team while holding opponents to a .120 mark in 25 sets. Senior OH Hillary Hughes (4.00 kills/set, .307 atk %) and senior MH/OPP Jessica Fey (3.46 kills/set, .428 atk %) lead the Washburn offense, while three players have recorded double-figure total blocks.

The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 36-13 against the Lady Blues, with Washburn having won each of the last three contests.

Chris Herron is in his 11^th season at the helm of the WU program, having compiled a 319-55 overall record.

Southwest Baptist “Bearcats” (4-4, 0-0 MIAA)
Southwest Baptist enters its first week of MIAA play having picked up 2-2 splits in both of its non-conference weekends. SBU hosts Central Missouri on Friday night before welcoming Truman on Saturday in the Plaster Athletic Center.

The Bearcats are hitting .161 as a team through eight matches and are holding opponents to a .155 mark. Junior MH Jordan Nedbalek is the offensive leader at 2.59 kills/set and a .365 hitting mark, while also putting down 0.88 blocks/set. Junior OH/OPP Jenna Isaacs is adding 2.09 kills/set.

The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 51-6 against the Bearcats, with Truman having won 46 consecutive meetings dating back to November 1988.

Kelly Richardson is in her sixth season as the SBU head coach.

True Freshmen Making Immediate Impacts:
A pair of freshmen hitters have been making an immediate impact along the Bulldog front line, as MH/OH Ali Patterson and OPP Abby Heise have played in 54 of a possible combined 56 total sets. Patterson ranks second on the squad in total kills (59), while Heise has put down 45 kills and has 11 blocks.

OH Kassi Schroeder has also played in 25 of the team's 28 sets, with Sidney King seeing action in 16 of 28 frames.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs get the early portion of next week off before hitting the road for back-to-back road matches at Missouri Southern (Friday, Sept. 21; 7:00 pm) and No. 8 Central Missouri (Saturday, Sept. 22; 7:00 pm).

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