Sept. 28, 2000
No. 20 Volleyball Bulldogs to Host Missouri Southern, Pittsburg State
THE MATCH: Truman State University Bulldogs (Mid-America Intercollegiate
Athletics Association/NCAA Division II) vs. Missouri Southern State College
Lions (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association/NCAA Division II)
Date: Fri., Sept. 29
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Kirksville, Mo.
Arena (Capacity): Pershing Arena (3,000)
THE MATCH: Truman State University Bulldogs (Mid-America Intercollegiate
Athletics Association/NCAA Division II) vs. Pittsburg State University Gorillas
(Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association/NCAA Division II)
Date: Sat., Sept. 30
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Kirksville, Mo.
Arena (Capacity): Pershing Arena (3,000)
BROADCASTS: KRES, 104.7 FM, Moberly, Mo. KRES will broadcast the Oct. 18 date with Central Missouri and the Oct. 25 date with Northwest Missouri. Other broadcasts throughout the volleyball season are tentatively planned.
ON THE WEB: Information on Bulldog Athletics, including daily scores, can be found at www2.truman.edu/athletics.
TRUMAN'S RECORD: 16-1, 4-0 MIAA
MISSOURI SOUTHERN'S RECORD: 5-9, 2-4 MIAA
Truman: The Bulldogs are off to the best start in school history having won 16 of their first 17 matches. The team also set a new school record for consecutive wins (15) with the victory on Tuesday over William Woods (Mo.). Truman is currently riding a string of 15 consecutive MIAA victories, dating to last season, also a program record.
The Bulldogs moved up to No. 20 in this week's AVCA Division II Top 25 after posting a pair of 3-2 wins last week against Missouri Western and Columbia College (Mo.). Truman (4-0 in the MIAA) and Central Missouri (7-0) occupy the top two spots in the MIAA standings, although the Jennies are currently in first since they have played three more conference matches than the 'Dogs.
Truman is getting balanced play in 2000, led by junior Eliza Hoerner (Augusta, Mo./Washington-Univ. of Colorado-Colorado Springs), who is averaging a team high 3.86 kills and 1.03 blocks per game. She has a .332 hitting percentage, which is also the best on the team.
Juniors Cassy Felkerson (Salem, Mo.) and Jenny Glenn (Granby, Colo./Middle Park) rank second and third, respectively, on the team in kills (3.00 and 2.50 per game) and hitting .310 and .278. Glenn also leads in service aces (0.35 p/g). Senior Janelle Zehr (Deer Creek, Ill./Mackinaw) leads the team in digs (3.11 p/g) and is fourth in kills (2.42 p/g). Sophomore Monica Marlowe (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora) averages 11.25 assists and 3.02 digs.
TRUMAN VS. WILLIAM WOODS: The Bulldogs broke the school record for consecutive wins on Tuesday night with a 3-0 sweep of William Woods (Mo.). The old mark of 14 straight wins had stood since 1993.
Although it was a 3-0 sweep of the Owls, the wins didn't come easily as Truman was forced to come from behind in two of the games in posting a 15-13, 15-2, 15-12 victory.
Hoerner charted hit .357 with 14 kills and five blocks to lead the Bulldogs. Junior Brenda Ippensen (Quincy, Ill.) added 13 kills, eight digs and a .381 percentage. She also had two service aces, while Felkerson and Glenn had eight and seven blocks, respectively. As a whole, Truman recorded 13 total blocks to seven for the Owls and out-hit WWU .275 to .034.
MISSOURI SOUTHERN: The Lions come in with a record of 5-9 overall, 2-4 in the MIAA. The team stopped a three-match losing streak on Tuesday night with a 3-1 win at Southwest Baptist. MSSC's other MIAA win came at Northwest Missouri in a 3-1 decision. Their league losses have been against Missouri Western (2-3), Central Missouri (0-3), Emporia State (1-3) and Washburn (2-3). In non-conference play, Missouri Southern has wins over Texas Woman's (3-2) and Henderson State (Ark.) (3-1).
Senior Stephanie Bunger leads the Lions in kills, averaging 2.84 per game in 37 games. Senior Amber Collins averages 2.29 per game, while freshman Katie Pickup averages 2.73 per game. Freshman Kym Mutert leads the squad in assists (9.31 p/g), while senior Angie Shockley leads in digs (3.13 p/g). In blocking, junior Rachel Miller and freshman Lindsey Mason average 1.29 and 1.19 per game, respectively. As a team, MSSC ranks third in the MIAA in blocks (2.86 p/g) with Miller and Mason ranked fourth and sixth individually. Collins is also ranked fifth in the MIAA in service aces (0.37 p/g).
PITTSBURG STATE: PSU has dropped seven straight matches and is 4-15 overall, 0-6 in the MIAA heading into Friday night's match at Columbia College. The Gorillas opened the season 2-0 with wins against Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-2) and Fort Hays State (Kan.) (3-1). Their other two victories were over Minnesota-Crookston (3-1) and William Jewell (3-2). PSU has lost 13 straight games.
The Gorillas lead the MIAA in digs, averaging 18.41 per game. Individually, freshman Dina Wathan ranks first in the conference in both kills (4.00 p/g) and digs (4.76 p/g). She's also third in service aces (0.38). Freshmen Katie Smith and Kaela Cooper are sixth and seventh in the MIAA, respectively in digs, averaging 3.35 and 3.26 per game. Freshman Gloria Ilariogun is eighth in the conference in blocks (1.09).
Series Record WITH MSSC: Truman leads 14-13 ... The Bulldogs won both meetings last year (3-2 at MSSC, 3-0 at home) and have taken the last four matches with the Lions.
Series Record WITH PSU: Truman leads 20-2 ... The 'Dogs have won 15 consecutive matches over PSU as the Gorillas have not managed a win in the series since 1992. Last year, both matches with Pittsburg were decided in 3-0 sweep fashion.
Coach Becky Eggering: Becky Eggering is in her fourth year at the helm of the Bulldogs and has an 82-38 career record for a winning percentage of .683 -- the best among all volleyball coaches in school history. She also ranks second in school history for career wins.
BULLDOGS IN MIAA STATISTICS (SEPT. 25 REPORT): Truman continues to lead the MIAA in kills (15.26 per game) and has also moved into the top spot for service aces, averaging 1.98 per game. The 'Dogs also rank second in team hitting (.256) and are third in digs (17.69 p/g). In assists, Truman slipped to fourth, averaging 13.26 per game. Among individuals, Hoerner is second in the league in kills (3.82 p/g), third in hitting (.331) and ninth in service aces (0.32 p/g). Felkerson is fourth in hitting (.325) and 10th in kills (3.10 p/g). Glenn moved to fourth in service aces (0.37 p/g) and is ninth in hitting percentage (.272). Marlowe ranks third in the conference in assists (11.19) and freshman Jenna Buckner (Quincy, Ill.) is eighth in the league in service aces (0.34).
BULLDOGS IN NCAA STATISTICS (SEPT. 17 REPORT): Truman ranks 15th in NCAA Division II in kills and 10th in won-lost percentage.
GLENN NAMED MIAA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: For the fourth time in as many weeks, the Bulldogs have an MIAA volleyball athlete of the week. For the week of Sept. 18-24, Glenn became the fourth Truman player to earn the honor this season after she hit .268 (35 kills, 9 errors, 97 attempts). Glenn averaged 3.50 kills and 2.10 digs in two matches during the week. Included in those totals was Glenn's first 20-kill match of the season, as she charted an even 20 finishes in the Bulldogs' 3-2 win over Columbia College, the top ranked team in NAIA.
Other Bulldog MIAA Athletes of the Week: Marlowe (Sept. 5, Sept. 19), Felkerson (Sept. 12), Hoerner (Sept. 19).
REGIONAL POLL: In the first South Central Regional rankings of the season, the Bulldogs were tied for first with Central Missouri State and Montevallo (Ala.). North Alabama was ranked fourth, followed by Arkansas Tech in fifth. Northwest Missouri, Valdosta State (Ala.) and Missouri Western were tied for sixth, with Harding (Ark.) and Emporia State (Kan.) rounding out the top 10.
NATIONAL POLL: The Bulldogs moved up a spot to 20th in this week's AVCA Top 25.