Bulldogs Reach 30-Win Plateau For Second Straight Year

The Truman volleyball team picked up a 3-0 win on Saturday at Washburn (Kan.), giving the team 30 wins for the second time in as many seasons and the third time in team history.

The win over the Lady Blues capped another successful week for the nationally No. 2-ranked Bulldogs, who ran their winning streak to 19 matches, including 12 straight victories in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The 'Dogs also improved to 21-0 in South Central Region play, and remained the No. 1-ranked team in the region. Truman is also in the driver's seat when it comes to the MIAA standings, sitting alone atop the league with a perfect 12-0 ledger and in position to claim its second straight conference title, but first outright.

To start the week, Truman (30-1, 12-0 MIAA) faced off against Northwest Missouri State on Wednesday (Oct. 24) and cruised to a 30-19, 30-15, 30-22 win behind 16 kills from senior Cassy Felkerson (Salem, Mo.) and 10 from senior Jenny Glenn (Granby, Colo./Middle Park). The duo combined to hit .479 as the 'Dogs posted a .382 hitting percentage for the match. Felkerson added five blocks (one solo) and junior Monica Marlowe (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora) finished with 35 assists. It marked the Bulldogs 24th win in the last 25 tries versus NWMSU.

On Friday (Oct. 26), Felkerson and fellow senior Eliza Hoerner (Augusta, Mo./Washington-Univ of Colorado-Colorado Springs) tallied 11 kills apiece in a 30-28, 30-26, 30-26 win at Emporia State, Truman's sixth straight over the Hornets. Hoerner also finished with four blocks while sophomore Jenna Buckner (Quincy, Ill.) charted eight kills.

Finally in Saturday's win at Washburn, the Bulldogs nearly set a team record with a .538 hitting percentage in a 30-15, 30-8, 30-18 domination of the Lady Blues. The Bulldogs' hitting percentage is the second-highest percentage ever recorded in a match. Felkerson put up a team season-high 23 kills with only two errors in 31 attempts, while Hoerner tallied 17 finishes with just two errors in 25 attempts. Marlowe had 44 assists, a team season-high for a three-game match, and 11 digs. Felkerson had four blocks (all solo). Felkerson and Hoerner combined to hit .643 and accounted for 40 of Truman's 63 kills in the match. The win gave the 'Dogs a 24-3 advantage in the all-time series and pushed their winning streak to six straight over WU.

With the team's winning streak at 19 matches, it is one away from tying the team record of 20 straight wins set last year. Should the team win four of its remaining five regular season matches, it will break the school record for wins (33). The 'Dogs have captured 38 of their last 39 MIAA matches, including 12 straight.