Oct. 28, 2004
Bulldogs Win Their Fourth MIAA Volleyball Title
The Truman volleyball team made it official on Thursday night, clinching the outright MIAA volleyball title with a 30-20, 30-14, 30-12 win over Southwest Baptist (Mo.) at Pershing Arena. The conference crown is the fourth for the program, all coming within the last five seasons.
The third-ranked Bulldogs remain perfect on the season with a 28-0 overall record and a 14-0 conference mark. The Lady Bearcats fell to 1-26 overall and 0-14 in the MIAA.
Like it has done all season long, Truman had a total team effort in the victory. All 17 players on the roster saw action, with 10 players recording at least two kills and 14 players collecting at least one dig. The Bulldogs hit .364 in the win while holding Southwest Baptist to a .089 hitting percentage, including a negative percentage in the final game.
Annie Nickolai (St. Louis, Mo./Villa Duchesne) had the best all-around performance for Truman with six kills, six assists, eight digs, five blocks and a .353 hitting percentage. Sarah Shearman (Manchestser, Mo./Lutheran South) was the top hitter on the night with nine kills and no errors in just 12 attempts. All of that was done while playing in just the second game. Micaela Walter (Topeka, Kan./Shawnee Heights) also had a team-high nine kills and Megan Remley (Kearney, Mo./Kearney) had seven kills in just one game.
Christine Wagener (Ballwin, Mo./Parkway West) led the team in assists with 18 and Lauren Dickbernd (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles West) had a team-high nine digs.
Southwest Baptist was led by Leah Elliott and Jenny Madrid with seven kills each. Chelsea Kenney had a game-high 20 assists and Misti Baser recorded 12 digs.
Truman continues its five-match homestand tomorrow night with a 7 p.m. contest against Missouri Southern.