(PITTSBURG, Kan.) – The seventh-ranked Central Missouri Jennies cruised to a pair of 3-0 wins on day one of the Pittsburg State Gorilla Classic. The Jens improved to 11-3 overall and 4-0 in MIAA play with wins over St. Edward's and the host Pittsburg State.
            The Jennies cruised to a 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-16) win over St. Edward's (8-6) in the first match of the day. Senior Allie Huffman led the Jens with 16 kills as she hit .517. She also had 11 digs. Classmate Paula Harris tallied 10 kills and Bradye Peniston had nine as she hit .571. The Jennies hit .420 as a team, while holding the Hilltoppers to a .184 hitting percentage. Julia Bates led UCM with 39 assists, while Kelsey Ortwerth and Taylor Krejci had 12 digs apiece.
            UCM used a 10-2 run at the end of set one to pull away and take the opener 25-13. The second set saw St. Edward's take an early lead, but Central Missouri used a 5-0 run to break a 5-all tie and never looked back taking a two sets to none lead with a 25-17 win. UCM completed the sweep with a 25-16 win in the third. The set was tied at 11-11, but the Jennies closed out the set and the match winning 14 of the final 19 points.
            In the nightcap, Central Missouri completed a season sweep of Pittsburg State (4-12, 2-3 MIAA) with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-15) win. Huffman and Harris continued their strong play with 17 and 16 kills, respectively. Bates had a game-high 41 assists and Krejci had 22 digs.
            The Jens never trailed in the first set and broke a 13-all tie with a 7-2 run to take the 25-18 opener. UCM used a 10-1 run in the second set to rally from an 11-8 deficit and take an 18-12 lead. The Jennies took the second set 25-17 and led two sets to none. The Jens led 10-8 in the third set, but seized control winning nine of the next 12 points for a 19-11 lead on the way to the 25-15 win.
            UCM concludes the two-day Pittsburg State Gorilla Classic with Saturday games against St. Mary's (Texas) at 9 a.m. and No. 17 West Texas A&M at 1 p.m.