Volleyball Week 2 Notes: Nebraska-Kearney Invitational

Weekly Schedule:
New Victorian Inn & Suites/Runza Fall Classic; Kearney, NE
Friday, Sept. 7 – vs. St. Cloud (Minn.) State; 10:00 am
Friday, Sept. 7 – vs. Maryville (Mo.); 4:00 pm
Saturday, Sept. 8 – vs. Northern (S.D.) State; 10:00 am
Saturday, Sept. 8 – vs. #13 Minnesota State; 4:00 pm

Live Stats

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - After posting a 3-1 record last weekend at the inaugural Days Inn Bulldog Invitational, the Truman volleyball team hits the road for the first time for this weekend's New Victorian Inn & Suites/Runza Fall Classic, hosted by Nebraska-Kearney.

The Bulldogs will compete four times during the two-day event, taking on St. Cloud (Minn.) State and Maryville (Mo.) on Friday before facing Northern (S.D.) State and No. 13 Minnesota State on Saturday. Match times on both days are 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.

Truman will be looking to pick up a handful of key non-conference victories, as the 'Dogs will face three NSIC programs after posting a 1-1 mark against the in-region conference last weekend. In addition, Truman will look to move to 3-0 against the GLVC on the year when it takes on Maryville on Friday. The Bulldogs dispatched both McKendree and Missouri-St. Louis last weekend.

Weekly Recap with Coach Briney:

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.

Sharpe Posts Career Weekend:
Megan Sharpe was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week for her performance during the Bulldogs' first four matches of the 2012 season on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

Sharpe, who won the award for the first time since she was recognized on Nov. 1, 2010, during her sophomore season, averaged 4.21 kills and 1.21 blocks per set, while hitting .427 with just nine errors in 117 total swings. She finished the weekend by averaging 5.14 points per set.

On Saturday (Sept. 1), Sharpe had a career day - twice - as she broke her previous career-high of 20 kills in the day's first match against Winona (Minn.) State. In that match, she put away 22 kills with just four errors on 44 swings (.409), and added six digs, an ace and three blocks for 24.5 total points. Then, in the tournament finale against Missouri-St. Louis, she nearly replicated her first match output to a point with an identical 22k-4e-44ta (.409) hitting line to go along with four digs, an ace and eight blocks for 27.0 total points.

With her 59 total kills last weekend, Sharpe (1,147 kills) jumped into Truman's all-time top-ten in career kills, surpassing Kelsey Wackerman's (2003-06) career mark of 1,128. In addition, she leaped past Lisa Weber (2006-08, 376) with her 377^th career block – good for sixth all-time in program history.

Sharpe's award marked the fifth straight season that a Bulldog volleyball player received league accolades following the first weekend of action, following Melissa Keck (2007), Whitney Boehler (2008), Molly Sinclair (2009) and Abby Moser (2010).

Checking Out the Competition:
St. Cloud State “Huskies” (3-1, 0-0 NSIC)
St. Cloud comes to UNK after a 3-1 opening weekend at the Upper Iowa Invitational, having picked up two wins against South Dakota School of Mines and one against Lake Superior State.

Ellie Dietzen was the team's top offensive weapon at the event, leading the tournament in kills (44), attempts (119) and blocks (16). SCSU will face the host Lopers on Thursday night before taking on the Bulldogs at 10:00 am on Friday.

Michelle Blaeser is in her third season as the program's head coach, and she has a career mark of 23-37. It's been nearly 30 years since the two programs last met on the court, as SCSU won straight set matches in both 1983 and 1984. Those are the only two meetings in the all-time series.

Maryville “Saints” (1-4, 0-0 GLVC)
After going 0-4 during the weekend at the Cal-State Monterey Bay Invitational in Seaside, Calif., the Saints returned to the heartland and earned their first win of 2012 on Tuesday night against Principia (Ill.) College.

The Saints are hitting just .104 on the season as a unit but are led offensively by Mikaela Lahm (3.67 kills/set, .250 hitting). However, no other regular is hitting above the Mendoza line, while the team as a whole has just 18 aces to 41 service errors.

Christine Phillips is in her second season at the helm of the Saints program and has a 9-22 record. The Bulldogs and Saints have never met in volleyball.

Northern State “Wolves” (3-1, 0-0 NSIC)
Northern State comes to Kearney having picked up three wins at its own home event to start the 2012 campaign. The Wolves defeated Chadron State, Black Hills State and Minot State in straight sets but fell in three to MIAA-member Missouri Western.

The Wolves will face both Minnesota State and Nebraska-Kearney on Friday before taking on Truman first thing Saturday morning. Freshman Drew Smith received top setter honors at last weekend's tournament after posting 11.27 assists/set. Jussy Tuscherer was one of the team's top hitters, averaging 3.30 kills/set and hitting .316.

Brent Aldridge is in his second season as the NSU head coach and has a career mark of 16-15. Truman has never faced Northern State.

#13 Minnesota State “Mavericks” (4-0, 0-0 NSIC)
After jumping 10 spots in the AVCA top-25 poll after starting 2012 with a 4-0 record, Minnesota State and Truman will wrap up the UNK Classic with a critical 4:00 pm match on Saturday. The Mavs headed west to start the season and earned wins against CSU-Monterey Bay, Alaska-Anchorage, Dominican (N.Y.) and Academy of the Arts.

Senior OH Chelsea Fogerty recorded a double-double in three of the team's four matches, putting down 59 total kills while hitting .215 for the weekend. The Mavs hit .234 as a unit, getting 2.93 kills/set out of both senior middle blockers Courtney Steinhauser and Jill Storlie.

Dennis Amundson is in his eighth season at the helm in Mankato, having posted a mark of 138-83. The Bulldogs and Mavericks have met eight times, with MSU holding a 4-3-1 advantage, including a 3-2 win in Bolivar, Mo., last season.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs begin MIAA play next week with three matches in five days, starting on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at new league member Lindenwood. Truman then hosts No. 7 Washburn at 7:00 pm on Friday, Sept. 14 before heading to Southwest Baptist on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 6:00 pm.

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