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Reid Williams

Volleyball Eric R. Flores

Gorillas Look to Rebound against MIAA foes

PITTSBURG, Kan.—After a Tuesday tilt in non-conference action with the Rockhurst University Hawks, the Pittsburg State University Gorillas refocus their attention on Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) action as the No. 11 Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats and the No. 14 University of Central Missouri Jennies visit John Lance Arena and Whetzel Court on Friday and Saturday.
 
Scouting the Gorillas
  • The Gorillas are 8-3 on the season and are coming off a three-set sweep at the hands of No. 13 Rockhurst.
  • The Gorillas' loss to the Hawks was their first loss at home in 2019.
  • In the match Erika Ivkov set a new three-set match high with 15 kills. 
Scouting the Bearcats
  • Northwest Missouri enters the weekend with a 9-1 overall record and a 2-0 MIAA showing.
  • They are ranked No.11 in this week's AVCA rankings. The No. 11 ranking is the highest in Bearcat history. The previous best of No. 15 came last week. This marks the 12th time that Northwest Missouri has been ranked in the AVCA top 25.
  • So far this season, they have scored four victories over ranked foes this season - No. 7 Northern State, No. 12 Central Missouri, No. 18 Drury and No. 23 Central Washington.
  • The Bearcats are deep as they have had two players in the past three weeks honored by the MIAA for their weekly awards. Junior Maddy Ahrens was the Specialist of the Week and junior Hallie Sidney was the Co-Hitter of the Week.
    • Last week, Ahrens averaged 11.33 assists per set and 2.44 digs per set. Ahrens secured a team-high seven service aces in the two matches.
    • Sidney powered Northwest with a pair of 20-plus kill performances to initiate MIAA play. Sidney averaged 4.89 kills per set and hit .260 in the two games last week and has five double-double performances this year.
 
Scouting the Jennies
  • UCM enters the weekend with a 6-4 overall record and a 1-1 record in the MIAA. They will be taking on Missouri Southern State University on Friday at 6 p.m. in Joplin, Mo.
  • The Jennies have faced seven top-25 ranked opponents this season and they are 3-4. They fell to than-ranked No. 15 Northwest Missouri in four sets on Sept. 21.
  • The Jennies hold a 61-5-1 record all time against Pittsburg State and they are on an 18-match winning streak.
 
Up Next
  • The Gorillas continue MIAA action next week with two road matches. On Tuesday, the Gorillas will take on Newman before taking on Missouri Western on Thursday.
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