Dec. 1, 2002
Truman Takes on No. 1 Team in the country in NCAA Quarterfinals
NCAA Elite Eight (Canyon, Texas)
NCAA Quarterfinals (Dec. 5)
12 p.m.- #25 New Haven (34-5) vs. #3 BYU-Hawaii (24-2)
2:30 p.m.- #2 Northern Colorado (31-2) vs. #7 Tampa (27-6)
5 p.m.- #4 Grand Valley State (31-2) vs. Edinboro (26-8)
7:30 p.m.- #10 Truman (26-8) vs. #1 West Texas A&M (35-2)
NCAA Semifinals (Dec. 6)
5 p.m.- New Haven/BYU-Hawaii vs. N. Colorado/Tampa
7:30- Grand Valley State/Edinboro vs. Truman/West Texas A&M
NCAA Championship Game (Dec. 7)
7:30 p.m.- Semifinal Winners
Broadcast:
Truman's matches will be broadcast locally on 88.7 FM KTRM. Fans can also
listen for FREE through Teamline by calling 1-800-846-4700 and using the
access code 6350.
The Truman State volleyball team (26-8) will be making its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Elite Eight, only one of two teams that also made the quarterfinals a year ago.
This year's Elite Eight will be held at the Event Center on the campus of West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas. Truman will have to face the host school and number one team in the country in the opening round. That match will take place on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m.
Last season, the Bulldogs had the best season in school history when they won their first-ever regional championship. The team lost two all-Americas and two other all-conference players from that team and had a much younger and inexperienced roster this season. Truman suffered a few more setbacks in the regular season but peaked at the right time and ended up with the same result, a South Central Championship.
Truman finished the regular season with a 24-8 record and tied for second in the MIAA with a 13-3 mark. The Bulldogs were seeded second in the regional tournament and received a first-round bye. In the regional semifinals, Truman led 2-0 against North Alabama but let the Lady Lions tie the match. In a close fifth-game, two key blocks down the stretch allowed Truman to escape with a 15-13 win.
In the regional final, Truman met MIAA rival Central Missouri and defeated them for the third time this season. The match was a lot closer than the 3-0 score indicates as the Bulldogs fought back from a Central Missouri game point in the first game and then needed three game points before they could win game two.
Seniors Monica Marlowe and Shelby Ortwerth have led the team throughout the season. Both players were first-team All-MIAA selections and Ortwerth, along with Jessica Sears, were named to the South Central Region all-tournament team.
Scouting the Lady Buffs: West Texas A&M, the Southwest Regional champions, comes into the Elite Eight as the number one team in the country and winners of 29 straight matches. The Lady Buffs are 35-2 overall on the season with only losses to Metro State and Augustana College blemishing their record. They advanced to the Elite Eight after a 3-0 win over Nebraska-Kearney and a 3-1 victory against Rockhurst.
Truman and West Texas A&M have played three common opponents this season. The Lady Buffs defeated all three in Central Missouri (3-2), Tampa (3-1) and Rockhurst (3-1). The Bulldogs defeated Central Missouri three times (3-1, 3-0, 3-0), lost to Tampa (3-1) and knocked off Rockhurst (3-1).
West Texas A&M is hitting .271 for the season while holding opponents to a mere .116 hitting percentage. The Lady Buffs are averaging over 17 digs and nearly three blocks a game.
Twenty-six of their 35 wins have come by a sweep and they are 3-0 in deciding fifth games. The Lady Buffs are also 15-0 at home although those matches were not played in the Event Center where the Elite Eight is being held.
Kendra Morgan leads Texas A&M's offense from the setter position as she averages 12.56 assists a game. She has four favorite hitters to go to. Jess Anne Fernandes leads the team with 3.81 kills a game and a .361 hitting percentage. Jenny Donohoo and Shannon Stroud are averaging 3.57 and 3.44 kills a game, respectively, and Megan Moore is fourth on the team with 2.77 kills a game. Stroud also leads the team with 3.93 digs and Kacie Hyatt is averaging 3.47 digs a game. Fernandes paces the squad with 1.50 blocks a game.
West Texas A&M is coached by Tony Graystone who has a 136-9 overall record in four seasons at the school.
Series Record: Truman and West Texas A&M have met just once before back in 1996 at the Central Missouri Challenge in Warrensburg, Mo. The Lady Buffs came away with a 15-8, 6-15, 15-8, 14-16, 15-12 win.
A Look At the Rest of the Elite Eight:
#4 Grand Valley State (31-2)
Grand Valley State advanced through the Great Lakes region with a 3-1 win over Southern Indiana and a 3-0 win over Northwood. Its two losses on the season have come against North Alabama and Ferris State. The Lakers have won 15 straight since that Ferris State loss.
Grand Valley State is hitting over .300 for the season while holding opponents to a .128 percentage. The Lakers are averaging over 16 kills, 15 digs and 2.7 blocks a game.
Carly Miller leads the team with 4.40 kills a game and a .332 hitting percentage. Nicole Bayle is averaging 11.87 assists a game and 0.72 aces a game while Chara Fehsenfeld leads the team with just under four digs a game. Sabrina Bird and Elisa Joris are both averaging over one block a game.
The Lakers are coached by Deanne Scanlon who is in her eighth season at the school and has a coaching mark of 204-68.
Grand Valley State has won the only previous meeting with Truman by a 3-1 score back in 1995.
Edinboro (26-8)
Edinboro, which just missed cracking the top 25 in last week's AVCA coaches poll, advanced to the Elite Eight out of the Atlantic region. The team defeated Lees-McRae in the regional semifinals in four games before upsetting the host school Indiana (Pa.) by a 3-1 score in the finals.
The Fighting Scots are averaging 16.5 kills, 18.3 digs and 2.1 blocks a game. Ashley Walton is averaging 4.04 kills and a .407 hitting percentage. Jen Shaw is the other hitting threat with 3.73 kills a game. Renee Kam is averaging 13.44 assists a game, Carmen Quatman leads the team with 1.07 blocks and Stephanie Burner is averaging 4.60 digs a game.
Lynn Theehs is the head coach of the Edinboro volleyball team. She has a 210-98 record in her ninth season at the school and a 238-145 record in 11 years as a collegiate head coach.
The Bulldogs have met the Fighting Scots once before. In 1996, Edinboro won 3-0 in a neutral site meeting in Warrensburg, Mo.
#2 Northern Colorado (31-2)
Northern Colorado is riding a 14-match winning streak which includes nine wins over ranked opponents. The team advanced to the Elite Eight following a 3-1 win over Minnesota State-Mankato and a 3-1 win over South Dakota State.
As a team, the Bears are averaging 16.33 kills, 19.46 digs, 1.82 blocks and are hitting .263 for the season. Erin Deffenbaugh is the nation's leader with 6.11 kills a game and she is hitting .327 for the season. Linnea Killsgaard is averaging 13.70 assists and Teale Goble leads the team with 4.11 digs a game.
The Bears are coached by Ron Alexander who is in his first year as the head coach after two years as an assistant coach at the school.
Northern Colorado has won all three previous meetings against the Bulldogs. The Bears swept Truman twice in 1987 and won 3-2 back in 1993.
#7 Tampa (27-6)
Tampa, winners of the South region, has won 21 straight matches and is 27-6 on the year, including a 3-1 victory over Truman. Tampa advanced through its regional with a pair of sweeps against Florida Southern and Barry.
The Spartans are hitting .289 on the year and are averaging 16.5 kills, 14.3 digs and 2.0 blocks a game.
Ania Ruiz leads the team with 4.42 kills a game followed by Amber Langston with 3.92 kills. Gretchen Naruta is averaging 13.12 assists at the setter position. Krissi MacIntyre leads the team with 3.69 digs a game and Ericka Womack and Tiffany Boatwright are the top blockers.
Chris Catanach is in his 19th season as Tampa head coach. He has a career coaching mark of 599-127.
Tampa leads the all-time series with Truman by a 3-0 mark. Besides the win earlier this year, the Spartans swept the Bulldogs in 1994 and 1996.
#3 BYU-Hawaii (24-2)
BYU-Hawaii defeated CS-Los Angeles by a 3-0 score and CS-San Bernardino by a 3-1 margin to win the Pacific region.
The team is averaging nearly 17 kills a game, the third most in the country. The Seasiders are hitting .289 on the year and are also averaging 16 digs and 1.9 blocks.
Yu Chuan Weng is averaging around five kills per game and Chun Yi Lin is also over four kills per game. Kaala Lo has seen most of the action at setter and is backed up by Crystal Casebolt. Weng is also the team's leader in digs and Lin is the team's top blocker.
BYU-Hawaii is coached by Wilfred Navalta. The Seasiders and Truman have never met in volleyball.
#25 New Haven (34-5)
After opening up the year with three straight losses, including one against Truman, New Haven has won 34 of 36 matches, including 29 straight wins. The Chargers won the Northeast region after 3-0 wins against NYIT and Bryant.
New Haven is averaging 14.16 kills, 16.45 digs, 2.63 blocks and is hitting .295 for the year. Ashlea Bonds leads the offense with 3.99 kills and a .334 hitting percentage. Other team leaders include Shemaka Smith with 11.20 assists a game, Zulekya Figuoroa with 4.18 digs and Lisette Jeppeson is averaging 1.60 blocks a game.
The Chargers are coached by Robin Salters who is 303-64 in nine seasons as the leader of the New Haven squad.
Truman and New Haven's meeting earlier this year was the first between the two teams. The Bulldogs won that meeting by a 3-0 score.
AVCA Coaches Poll: Following the team's South Central Regional championship, the Bulldogs moved up seven spots to tenth in the AVCA Top 25 poll. It is the highest Truman has been ranked since it was fourth after the first week of the season.
Every team in the Elite Eight except for one is ranked in the most recent poll. West Texas A&M is first, Northern Colorado is second, BYU-Hawaii is third, Grand Valley State is fourth, Tampa is seventh and New Haven is 25th. Edinboro just missed breaking into the top 25.
South Central Regional:
Truman-3, North Alabama-2
The Truman volleyball team survived a serious comeback attempt from North Alabama and advanced to the South Central Regional Finals with a 30-22, 30-24, 17-30, 20-30, 15-13 win.
Bulldogs freshman Tiffany Graham came up with her biggest game of the year. She tied for the team-high with 20 kills and was involved in two of the biggest plays of the game. With Truman holding a 13-12 lead in the decisive game, Graham and Jessica Sears blocked a Lady Lions attempt to give the Bulldogs a 14-12 lead. Following a North Alabama point, Graham teamed up with Shelby Ortwerth for another block to win the game.
Sears also ended the game with 20 kills while Shelby Ortwerth had 16 kills and a .412 hitting percentage. Monica Marlowe had 58 assists and three blocks to lead the team and Graham also had three blocks. Five Bulldogs had double-digit digs led by Ortwerth with 16, Sears with 15 and Graham with 14.
North Alabama was led by Yana Nivona with 26 kills and Anna Bondarenko with 22. Ashley Moffitt had 59 assists and Maggie Gimenez led the team with seven blocks.
Truman used strong serving and defense to win the first game. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-13 lead as North Alabama only scored one point off its serve up to that point. The Lady Lions rallied, getting the score within three at 23-20. Following a sideout, Shelby Ortwerth served during five straight Truman points to give the team a 29-20 advantage and control of game one. The Bulldogs led a close game two most of the way as well.
North Alabama tied the game at 18 but Truman scored 11 of the game,s final 17 points for a 2-0 advantage.
The end of games three and four were all North Alabama. The Bulldogs were down just 13-11 in game three but the Lady Lions outscored them 17-6 the rest of the way. The two teams were tied in the fourth game at 17 but North Alabama went on a 9-1 run and ended up with a convincing 30-20 win.
Truman-3, Central Missouri-0
The Bulldogs continued its recent dominance over Central Missouri with a 31-29, 32-30, 30-23 win to advance to the Elite Eight.
Truman hit .305 for the game on the way to the sweep. Shelby Ortwerth and Jessica Sears were named to the South Central region all-tournament team after leading the Bulldogs on Saturday. Ortwerth had 11 kills and Sears and Kelly Vogel each had 10. Senior Monica Marlowe had 38 assists and 11 digs while Tiffany Graham led the team with 13 digs.
Central Missouri was led by Elyse Mohme who had 19 kills and Carrie Potthast who added 15. Natalie Loerch had 41 assists and Jacque Barr had a team-high 19 digs.
Game one was close throughout with neither team leading by more than four points. Jessica Sears made the big plays for the Bulldogs. Central Missouri was serving for game point at 29-28 when Sears tied it up with a kill. She then served for two straight Truman points to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
Game two also went into overtime. Truman grabbed a 12-4 lead early but scored just one point of its next eight serving rotation, allowed the Jennies to tie the game at 21. The match remained close as the Bulldogs served twice for game point but could not convert. On the third game point, Jessica Sears and Tiffany Graham blocked a Central Missouri attempt for the winning point.
Both teams struggled scoring on their serving in the final game. Truman broke through first with Truman scoring on three straight Graham serves to take a 19-15 lead. Central Missouri closed it to 25-23 at one point a sideout and three four straight points off Sears serve gave the Bulldogs the title.
A Look Back at the 2002 Season: The Bulldogs entered this season with a lot of question marks after losing two all-Americas and two other key players from last year's squad that went 37-2 and advanced to the Elite Eight.
The young squad received good reviews after going 4-0 at the season-opening Nebraska-Omaha Tournament including a win over then nationally-ranked Regis. The following weekend, however, playing against some of the top teams in the country at the University of Tampa Tournament, the Bulldogs dropped all four matches. All four were tightly fought however showing Truman was close to being one of the country's best.
The Bulldogs responded to the defeats by reeling off 12 straight wins. Truman once again appeared unbeatable in Pershing Arena and jumped in front of the conference race with a 7-0 record.
The winning streak would eventually be snapped at the Henderson State Tournament by the host school. That same afternoon, Truman appeared in jeopardy of losing its second straight when they fell behind North Alabama by a 2-0 score but rallied for one of its biggest wins of the year.
Follwoing that win, the Bulldogs had a rematch with second-place Washburn who was just one game behind Truman in the conference standings. The Bulldogs rallied from a 2-0 deficit again but this time couldn't pull out a fifth-game win, falling for the first time in 29 matches at Pershing Arena.
Truman again rebounded with two straight home wins, including a thrilling 3-2 comeback against Columbia College, before embarking on a five-match road trip. That trip turned out not to be kind, as the Bulldogs dropped two MIAA matches to Missouri Southern and Missouri Western, and fell out of the MIAA race.
The team entered the final week of the season needing some momentum and got just that. The Bulldogs swept Central Missouri on the Jennies home court before coming home and recording two more sweeps against Northwest Missouri and Southwest Baptist.
Truman used that momentum to repeat as South Central Regional champions with a 3-2 victory over North Alabama and another 3-0 win over Central Missouri.
All-MIAA Team: Three Bulldogs were named to the All-MIAA volleyball team.
Monica Marlowe found herself in a familiar spot as she was named to the first-team for the fourth straight year. She is the first Truman player to be named first-team all-MIAA team all four years.
Joining Marlowe on the first-team was Shelby Ortwerth. The senior receives the honor for the first time after switching to outside hitter this year after being a defensive specialist as a junior.
Kelly Vogel received all-MIAA honorable mention honors. It was also the first all-MIAA award for the sophomore outside hitter.
All-Region Honors: Several Bulldog players and head coach Qi Wang recently received South Central Region honors. Monica Marlowe and Shelby Ortwerth were named to the South Central all-region team by the AVCA and Wang was named the AVCA Regional Coach of the Year. At the regional tournament, Ortwerth and Jessica Sears were named to the South Central Region all-tournament team.
Wilson/MIAA Athletes of The Week: Four different Truman players have been named Wilson/MIAA Volleyball players of the week this year. Shelby Ortwerth and Monica Marlowe have both won the award two times. Ortwerth earned the Hitter of the Week honors on Oct. 7 and this past week, Nov. 18. Marlowe earned Setter of the Week honors on Sept. 16 and Oct. 21. Jessica Sears was the Hitter of the Week back on Sept. 16 and Kelly Vogel earned Hitter of the Week honors on Oct. 28.
MIAA Commissioner's Honor Roll: Five Bulldogs were named to the MIAA Commissioner's Honor Roll for volleyball. Lauren Dickbernd, Rebecca Knefelkamp, Monica Marlowe, Annie Nickolai and Rachael Shedd were Truman athletes to receive the honor. To be eligible, a player must be at least a sophomore with at least two terms of attendance at the school and have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 or better.
MIAA Leaders: Truman continues to lead the MIAA in kills (17.11 per game), assists (15.74) and digs (19.95). The Bulldogs are second in the conference in hitting percentage (.252) and eighth in blocks (2.15) and service aces (1.43).
Individually, Shelby Ortwerth is sixth in the MIAA in kills per game with 3.83 and Kelly Vogel is ninth with 3.73. Monica Marlowe is fifth in assists with 11.43 assists a game and Jennifer Hunter is tenth with a .272 hitting percentage. Ortwerth is also among dig leaders as her 3.71 average is eighth in the conference.
National Leaders: Through Nov. 24, Truman led the nation in assists a game and was second in kills per game. The Bulldogs are averaging 17.11 kills and 15.74 assists a game. Truman is currently 0.11 kills behind Minnesota-Duluth in the battle for the kills leader and the Bulldogs lead Minnesota-Duluth by 0.08 assists a game.
The Bulldogs were also among national leaders in digs as their 19.95 digs a game average was 21st-best in the country.
Single-Season Records: As a team, the Bulldogs are on pace to set school records this year in kills per game, assists per game and digs per game. They are currently averaging 17.11 kills, 15.74 assists and 19.92 digs. Truman has already broken team records for total kills (2242) and assists (2062).
Individually, Shelby Ortwerth is currently averaging the seventh-highest kill average in school history for a single season and Kelly Vogel is ninth in that category. Ortwerth is also tied for eight in kills, has the tenth-highest digs per game average and is third all-time with 23 double-doubles on the year (kill/dig). Monica Marlowe's 11.43 assists per game would currently place her third on the Bulldogs single-season list and her 1269 is 10th on the single-season list. Jessica Sears' 22 double-doubles is right behind Ortwerth in a tie for fourth-place.
Career Records: Monica Marlowe has been moving up the Bulldogs career lists in many categories the entire season. She became just the second Truman player to pass 5000 assists this year and will end her career second in career assists and first in assists per game. Marlowe also broke into the NCAA top 25 list for career assists with 5366 (23rd) and is 25th in assists average (11.47).
In other Truman career lists, Marlowe is tenth in service aces (118), third in digs (1447), fourth in digs per game (3.09), second in matches with 10+ digs (79), fifth in matches with 20+ digs (8), sixth in block assists (191), seventh in total blocks (214), tied for sixth in matches played (138) and seventh in games played (468).
Truman's other setter, Rachael Shedd, is seventh in career assists (1035) and eighth in assists per game (4.91).
Shelby Ortwerth is listed in six career categories including fourth in hitting percentage (.261), seventh in aces per game (0.30) and eighth in digs per game (2.85).
Jessica Sears is also in the top 10 in six career categories including eighth in kills per game, fourth in aces per game and sixth in digs per game.
Kelly Vogel is in the top 10 in seven categories including fifth in hitting percentage, seventh in aces per game and eighth in digs per game.
Against Ranked Opponents: Truman is 6-4 this season against teams that were ranked in the AVCA Top 25 at the time they faced the Bulldogs and Truman has won the last five of these encounters. The Bulldogs also have wins over Rockhurst, Washburn and New Haven, team's ranked in the latest poll.
How the Bulldogs Win: Hitting percentage has been the key statistic for Truman this year. The Bulldogs are 25-0 when they have a higher percentage then their opponents and 1-8 when they do not.
Truman is also 26-2 when it hits above .200 for the match and 19-1 when it holds opponents under that .200 mark.
The Bulldogs also appear to like quicker matches. Truman is 13-0 in matches that are 3-0 sweeps, 9-4 in matches that go four games and 4-4 in matches that go all five games.
Postseason History: Truman is making its fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament and its third consecutive one. The Bulldogs are 6-3 all-time in NCAA postseason games.
Last season, the Bulldogs had their most successful postseason up to that point. Truman hosted the South Central Regional tournament and won its first regional title. The Bulldogs earned it with a 3-0 win over Henderson State in the regional semifinals and another 3-0 sweep in the next round against North Alabama. In the first round of the Elite Eight, Truman fell in five games to South Dakota State.
In 2000, Truman defeated two MIAA foes in the first two rounds. The Bulldogs knocked off Missouri Western 3-1 in the opener and then beat Central Missouri 3-1. In the regional finals, Truman lost a 20-18 fifth-game decision to North Alabama.
The other appearance came in 1994 and was a short one as the Bulldogs lost to Central Missouri by a 3-0 score in the opening round.
Head Coach Qi Wang: Qi Wang is in his second season as head coach of the Bulldogs. Wang had an impressive coaching debut, leading Truman to a 37-2 overall record in 2001 and was named MIAA and South Central Region Coach of the Year. This season, the Bulldogs again won the South Central Regional and Wang was again named South Central Region Coach of the Year.
Wang is in his sixth season at Truman after being assistant coach for four years. Since Wang has been at the school, the Bulldogs have gone 159-53 (.750), won their first outright MIAA title, shared another MIAA championship, advanced to three NCAA tournaments and two trips to the Elite Eight.
Assistant coach Becky Pike has also played a huge role in the Bulldogs' success the last six years. Pike was the head coach from 1997-2000 before accepting the assistant's role before the 2001 season. Pike was named the MIAA Coach of the Year in 2000 after Truman earned a share of the MIAA championship for the first time.
Season highlight Reel:
- The Bulldogs were the preseason MIAA favorites according to the coaches' poll and were ranked fifth in the nation in the AVCA preseason poll, Truman's highest-ever preseason ranking.
- Truman went 4-0 during the Nebraska-Omaha tournament, including a 3-1 victory over then nationally-ranked Regis.
- Truman tied a school record with a .333 attack percentage in a four-game match against Regis. Jennifer Hunter had an .846 attack percentage in that match, the second-best for a single match in school history.
- Monica Marlowe (Setter) and Jessica Sears (Hitter) were named Wilson/MIAA players of the week on Sept. 16.
- Shelby Ortwerth became just the fifth Bulldog in history with 20+ kills and digs in one match when she recorded 23 kills and 20 digs against Rockhurst. She would record the feat one other time later in the season and Jessica Sears became the sixth Bulldog in history with 22 kills and 27 digs at Missouri Southern.
- Truman set a school record with 78 assists and had the second-most kills (68) for a four-game match against SIU-Edwardsville.
- Shelby Ortwerth was named the Wilson/MIAA Hitter of the Week on Oct. 7.
- Following wins over nationally-ranked Central Missouri and SIU-Edwardsville, Truman had won 23 straight MIAA contests and 28 straight matches at Pershing Arena.
- Truman defeated North Alabama 3-2, its third win on the year over a nationally ranked team and the highest-ranked team it beat on the year.
- Monica Marlowe became the second Truman player to record 5000 career assists against Emporia State. She earned Wilson/MIAA Setter of the Week honors for her accomplishment on Oct. 21.
- Truman came back from down 2-0 in games and a 12-8 fifth-game deficit to hand Columbia College just its fifth loss in the last five years.
- Kelly Vogel had 33 kills against Columbia College, tying for the fourth-most in school history for a single-match. She also became just the third Bulldog to ever record more than 30 kills in a match. Vogel was named Wilson/MIAA Hitter of the Week on Oct. 28.
- The Bulldogs won their 20th match of the season against Southwest Baptist, extending their streak to 13 consecutive years with at least 20 wins.
- Truman won its 20th match of the season against Southwest Baptist, extending its streak to 13 consecutive years with at least 20 wins.
- The Bulldogs recorded 135 digs against Missouri Southern, fifth-most in school history.
- Truman swept nationally-ranked Central Missouri 3-0 on the Jennies home court.
- The Bulldogs hit .425 against Northwest Missouri, the fifth-best all-time in a three-game match.
- Truman defeats Southwest Baptist 3-0 on Senior Day. The Bulldogs seniors led the way with Shelby Ortwerth recording 17 kills and a .615 hitting percentage and Monica Marlowe having a team-high 46 assists and 18 digs.
- Truman earns its third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth after finishing the regular season with a 24-8 record and coming in tied for second in the MIAA with a 13-3 mark.
- Monica Marlowe was named to the MIAA first-team for the fourth time. Shelby Ortwerth also received first-team honors and Kelly Vogel was an honorable mention selection.
- Truman defeated North Alabama in the regional semifinals by a 3-2 margin. Jessica Sears and Tiffany Graham leads the team with 20 kills apiece.
- Monica Marlowe moved into the top 25 NCAA career assists list with 58 assists against North Alabama. Shelby Ortwerth also broke into Truman's top 10 single-season kills list in that game.
- Truman won the South Central Regional with a 3-0 sweep over Central Missouri.
- Shelby Ortwerth and Jessica Sears were named to the South Central Regional all-tournament team.
- Monica Marlowe and Shelby Ortwerth were named to the South Central all-region team by the AVCA.
- Qi Wang was named South Central Region Coach of the Year by the AVCA.
- Lauren Dickbernd, Rebecca Knefelkamp, Monica Marlowe, Annie Nickolai and Rachael Shedd were named to the MIAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.
- Truman makes its second straight trip to the Elite Eight Tournament which is held at West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas.