KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - After racing out to a 7-1 start, the program's best in eight years, and receiving 83 votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll, the Truman State University volleyball team was cooled off this past week. The Bulldogs fell in straight sets at No. 5 Lewis on Friday before dropping a five-set thriller at Indianapolis on Saturday. Now, the Purple and White will get to play on their home court for the first time when they welcome in William Jewell on Tuesday night and Quincy on Saturday afternoon.
Home Sweet Home
After 10 matches away from the friendly confines of Pershing Arena, the Bulldogs are home for the first of 10 dates in 2018 on Friday vs. William Jewell. In Truman's nine home openers under the direction of head coach,
Ben Briney, the Purple and White have gone 6-3 including wins in two straight. In that same nine-year span, the Bulldogs have won nearly three quarters of their matches inside Pershing Arena (69-25). In the Bulldogs' five home/GLVC openers, they're 4-1.
Scouting the Cardinals
William Jewell hasn't had quite the start it envisioned for 2018. The Cardinals are just 2-8 overall, have dropped their last four matches in a row and have been swept in five of those eight losses. When looking at the all-time series, Truman has won nine of the 10 meetings and 26 of the 30 sets with its lone loss coming in Liberty on Sept. 29, 2017. William Jewell is coached by its fifth-year leader, Carolyn Raynes, who has accumulated a record of 35-97 (.265 winning percentage) in those five seasons.
Scouting the Hawks
After a 5-0 start that saw it lose just three sets (15-3), Quincy has dropped its last five matches in a row including an 0-2 start in GLVC action. Much like William Jewell, Truman has dominated the all-time series with the rival Hawks to the tune of 48-18 including victories in 18-straight meetings and 22 of the last 23. Quincy is coached by former Bulldog,
Abby Moser, in her second season after debuting with a record of 8-21 (5-13 GLVC) in 2017.
Bulldog for Life
Speaking of Moser, the Wildwood, Mo. native is one of the Truman volleyball program's all-time greats. Formerly a libero, Moser's name is all over the Bulldog record book. For the career charts, she is first in digs (2,415), first in 10+ dig matches (121), first in 20+ dig matches (53), first in 30+ dig matches (7), second in digs per set, and ninth in sets played (509). The Lafayette High School product spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Quincy before taking over the program in 2017.
Up Next
Next up, Truman will hit the road to face Southern Indiana on Friday, Sept. 21 and Bellarmine the following Saturday.
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