PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State volleyball team will hit the road for its final two regular season matches of the 2019 campaign. This weekend the Gorillas will travel to Hays, Kan., to take on the Fort Hays State University Tigers Friday (Nov. 15) before traveling Kearney, Neb., for a Saturday (Nov. 16) showdown with the No. 2 ranked University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers. Friday's match is set for 12 p.m. (CST) while Saturday's action is set for 6 p.m.
Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas are 13-14 overall and 8-10 in the MIAA. Pitt State punched its ticket to the 2019 MIAA Postseason Tournament, their fifth all-time conference postseason berth, a couple weeks ago and will use this weekend's match ups as a tune up for the tournament.
Pitt State split a pair of MIAA matches last week, defeating Emporia State, 3-1, on Nov. 9, after falling to No. 3 Washburn in three straight sets on Nov. 8.
The Gorillas are attacking at a .175 clip while opponents are just a fraction higher at .185. The Gorillas have five players with triple digit kills on the season, however Erika Ivkov (277), Morgan Henning (263) and Meg Auten (225) all have more than 200 kills on the season. Ivkov is strong from the service line as well as she has posted 29 aces on the season. Meanwhile, libero Marissa Bates has tallied 388 digs this season and Brianna Richard has 583 assists on the campaign.
Scouting the Tigers
The Tigers enter the match with a 6-20 overall record and a 3-15 MIAA slate. FHSU enters the match on a 13-game losing streak.. FHSU is attacking .159 on the season while opponents are hitting at a .218 clip. The Tigers have five players with triple digit kills with Delaney Humm sitting as the leader with 308.
Scouting the Lopers
The Lopers are a perfect 28-0 on the season, 18-0 in the MIAA and ranked No. 2 in this week's AVCA/NCAA Division II Top 25 poll. UNK is coming off a four-set win over Missouri Western last Saturday (Nov. 9) to claim a share of the MIAA regular season title for the fourth straight year. The Lopers are attacking .257 on the season while opponents are hitting at a .105 clip. Julianne Jackson is the top attacker with 266 kills.
Earlier Meetings
The Tigers and Gorillas met back on Oct. 19 at John Lance Arena with the Gorillas sweeping the Tigers by scores of 25-14, 25-10 and 25-19. Ivkov (10) and Auten (12) paced the Gorillas in that match in kills while Bates had 19 digs.
The Lopers and Gorillas met back on Oct. 18 in Pittsburg with the Gorillas falling in three sets. The Lopers won with scores of 26-24, 25-16 and 25-20. Ivkov posted 11 kills in the match while Auten added 10.
Up Next
The Gorillas will turn their attention to the MIAA Tournament next week. The single-elimination tournament is set to commence on Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City, Mo. For more information on the MIAA Tournament visit the Tournament Championship page by clicking here.
