Nov. 7, 2001
Volleyball Bulldogs Capture MIAA Championship
The No. 2-ranked Truman State University volleyball team won their second straight Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championship on Wednesday night, downing No. 13 Central Missouri State 30-28, 30-14, 20-30 and 30-23 before 1,107 fans at Pershing Arena.
Seniors Cassy Felkerson (Salem, Mo.) and Eliza Hoerner (Augusta, Mo./Washington-Univ. of Colorado-Colorado Springs) celebrated Senior Night with a bang, as they had 16 and 15 kills, respectively, to lead a Truman attack that outhit CMSU .226 to .161. Felkerson added five blocks while hitting a team-best .412. Junior setter Monica Marlowe (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora) finished with 56 assists, five aces and 18 digs. Freshman Jessica Sears (Colchester, Ill.) tallied 12 kills and 25 digs and sophomore Jenna Buckner (Quincy, Ill.) rounded out the Bulldog double-figure kills representatives with 11.
The MIAA championship is the second in school history for the Bulldogs, but the team's first outright crown. Last year, Truman and CMSU shared the title as each finished with 15-1 league records.
This year, head coach Qi Wang's first at the helm, the 'Dogs enter the postseason fray with a record of 35-1 overall and went 16-0 in MIAA action. Postseason announcements will be made on Sunday, Nov. 11.
Truman's 35 overall wins and 16 conference victories are new school records, as is the Bulldogs' 24-match winning streak. Additionally, Truman has now won 21 consecutive MIAA home matches and 20 straight at home overall.
The Bulldogs, currently ranked No. 1 in the South Central Region, finish the regular season with a 26-0 ledger versus regional competition. Truman figures to be the host for next week's regional tournament, one that will likely see regional foes No. 3 North Alabama and these same CMSU Jennies return, among other teams, to Kirksville.