TYLER, Texas – The No. 12 Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team defeated two of the three ranked opponents they faced this past weekend at the Tyler Junior College Invitational.
On Friday, the Grizzlies downed the hosting Apaches, ranked No. 8, 25-21, 25-22, 15-25, 25-16, before losing a five-set heart-breaker to No. 3 Blinn College 12-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-19, 12-15.
Saturday, they defeated No. 11 Indian Hills Community College in three straight sets 25-23, 25-23, 25-12.
The Grizzlies’ record now stands at 10-4 overall.
“We made good progress this weekend that we can keep building on. We got better, we showed up for each other and we can keep growing,” Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said.
“Our schedule doesn’t get any easier moving forward,” she added. “We have to play good teams to prepare us for the good teams we will see throughout the remainder of the season.”
Grizzly fans who were unable to tune into Friday’s games missed a couple of great contests. “Beating Tyler on their home floor is a big deal and was a great way to start the weekend,” Wiedemann said.
“We played Blinn back-to-back after the Tyler game, and it was great to see the fight we had in us,” she added. “The game was a physical, hard hitting defensive barn burner. We gave ourselves an opportunity when we pushed it to a fifth set and almost finished it out, but Blinn is No. 3 for a reason,” Wiedemann said.
“There’s always a lot of intensity when we play Indian Hills,” the coach said of Saturday’s contest. “We had to work through a couple of rough stretches and keep our composure to finish off the first two sets. We should always expect to have tough games against them since we are big district rivals.
“It will come down to handling the pressure of big moments as we continue to work through this season. There’s still a lot for us to learn and grow from in these games,” Wiedemann predicted.
Freshman setter Doga Kutlu and redshirt freshman middle back/right side attacker Angelina Hardison were both named to the all-tournament team. Kutlu recorded a team-leading 110 assists and six aces for the tournament, while Hardison led the Grizzlies in attacking percentage with .327 and co-led the team in blocking with nine. She also had 24 kills.
Freshman outside hitter Ilana Assis led the Grizzlies in kills for the tournament with 31, followed by freshman middle back/right side attacker Alana Moesch with 29.
Defensively, redshirt freshman right side/outside hitter Manuela Bibinbe co-led the team in blocks with nine, while redshirt freshman libero Lauren Weber paced the team in digs with 60. Assis followed with 42 digs.
“We had such a great team effort this past weekend with everyone contributing and doing their job,” Wiedemann said. “It can be hard to guess what stands out to the other coaches when they are watching us play.
“It is great to see Doga and Angie recognized for what they are doing on the court and the big moments they both had throughout the weekend. Doga continues to grow in her ability and presence in running our offense, and it shows in the balance of our attacking,” the coach said.
“Angie has become a force for us offensively, not only in producing points, but also in making a statement when she takes a big swing,” she added.
The Grizzlies return home to host No. 19 Mineral Area College at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29, at Joe Paul Evans Arena in the West Plains Civic Center. The Cardinals are 10-2 after defeating Southern Illinois College last week.
“Every region game is a big game,” Wiedemann said. “We are excited about the student tailgate prior to the game and the energy our students bring when they are cheering us on.
“We have a great game sponsor in Don’s Auto Service. They have always been so supportive of our program, and it makes a difference for our players and the experience they have as a Grizzly,” the coach said.
For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball team, visit its website at msuwpgrizzlies.com/sports/wvball/index.
Missouri State University-West Plains empowers students to achieve personal success and to enrich their local and global communities by providing accessible, affordable and quality educational opportunities. Missouri State-West Plains offers associate degrees and credit and non-credit courses and serves as a delivery site for bachelor’s and master’s degrees offered by Missouri State University in Springfield.
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