Jennies in the Polls

After a 2-2 weekend at the Colorado Premier Challenge, the Central Missouri Jennies slide to No. 8 in the AVCA Division II Coaches' Top 25 Poll, released Monday. The Jennies are the only program in Division II to earn a spot in the poll every week since it's debut in 1986, a record 332 consecutive weeks.

The Jennies collected 533 of a possible 800 votes in the poll, down from the 668 they recieved a week ago after their 3-1 start to the season. MIAA newcomers Nebraska-Kearney claimed the top spot in the poll, earning 20 of 32 first place votes. Last week's No. 1, Concordia-St. Paul, suffered their first loss of the season and fell to No. 3.

Conference rivals Washburn improved from No. 7 to No. 5 as they remained unbeaten throughout their early season schedule. Truman was the fourth MIAA school featured in the poll, coming just short of the Top 25 and receiving six votes.

In the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, UCM was ranked second, collecting 131 points and four first-place votes. The Lady Blues took the top spot, earning seven first-place votes, while MIAA newcomers Nebraska-Kearney came in third, also picking up a  pair of first-place votes.

Super Setter

Junior setter Julia Bates has continued to help run the Jennies' high-powered offense, dealing out an average of 9.85 assists per set. Of Bates' 843 sets this season, 384 (45.6%) have gone down for a kill. She currently leads the MIAA in total assists.

Bates recorded 35 assists against Missouri S&T this week, for an average of 11.7 per set. Against #21 Colorado Mines last week, the junior recorded 56 helpers, the highest total in the MIAA so far this year. Bates has two of the top five single-game assists totals in the league, with her performance against Colorado Mines, plus the 50-assist match against #2 Tampa.

With an average of 11.09 assists per set in her career, Bates ranks second all-time in UCM program history. She also ranks 10th on the all-time assists list, with 3,062.

Double Trouble

Sophomore Aubri Renshaw has fit in perfectly with the Jennies attack after the first two weeks of the season. The outside hitter in her first season at UCM is averaging 2.92 kills per set, the second-highest average on the team. Entering the match against the Miners, the Raymore native ranked third in total kills, with 109. She currently holds the league's high mark with 26 kills in the match against #2 Tampa. Renshaw has helped out on the back line this season as well, averaging 2.67 digs per set.

Although Renshaw posted a season-low five kills in the three-set win over Missouri S&T, she also recorded nine digs and dealt her eighth service ace of the year.

Renshaw also leads the team with four double-doubles this season, including two on the same day, in the wins over #17 Lewis and #21 Colorado Mines last weekend.

Freshman Phenoms

Libero Annie Reilly has stepped up as a starter in her first season, and is leading the back line with an average of 4.41 digs per set. Reilly, a true freshman from Overland Park, Kan., led the MIAA in total digs entering this week.

Reilly has reached double-figures in digs in all nine matches this season, with a career-high of 30 digs Saturday against #17 Lewis. Her performance in that match was the fourth-highest dig total in the conference this year, and the highest by a freshman. She recorded 27 digs in a stright-set loss to #14 West Texas A&M, which is the league's highest total in a three-set match. 

Tied for the team lead with 10 service aces this year, Reilly dealt out four aces against Lock Haven, the highest five-set service ace total in the MIAA this year.

After making her collegiate debut last weekend against West Texas A&M, freshman Carly Sojka has made an immediate impact for the Jennies. A native of Blue Springs, Sojka has posted two double-doubles in her first five matches, recording a career-high 16 kills and 19 digs in the win over Lewis, followed by a 13-kill, 15-dig performance on the same day, against Colorado Mines. On the season, the outside hitter is averaging 2.60 kills per set with a .271 hitting percentage. She also has the team's third-highest digs average, at 2.60 per set.

Defensive specialist Mikalee Monachino, is the other Jennie with 10 service aces  along with Reilly, with an average of 0.26 per set. The redshirt freshman is also averaging 2.0 digs per set, and has appeared in all 39 sets this season. She set a career-high with 15 digs in the win over Lewis last weekend.

Monachino has three double-digit dig performances, with 14 coming against #2 Tampa, 10 against #14 West Texas A&M, and the previously mentioned 15 against the Flyers.

Junior Duo

UCM juniors Taylor Goodness and Jamie Haworth are having productive seasons thus far in their respective roles. Goodness, an outside hitter from Salina, Kan., is averaging 1.81 kills per set, along with 0.44 blocks per set. She set a season-high with 14 kills in the win over #10 Indianapolis. Starting in four matches this season, Goodness has reached double-digits in kills three times, against Indianapolis, #2 Tampa (10 kills), and #17 Lewis (11).

Haworth started the season strong, reaching double-digit dig totals in each of the first three matches of the year, including a season-high 13 against both West Florida and Tampa. Since the first weekend, Haworth has recorded nine digs over five matches.

Opponent Preview

Southwest Baptist

The Bearcats have managed a 4-4 record through the non-conference portion of the schedule, going 2-2 at the Saint Leo Classic in Tampa, Fla. and their own Purple Bash in Bolivar last weekend.

Southwest Baptist is led on the offensive end by junior Jordan Nedbalek, who is averaging a team-high 2.59 kills per set. The middle hitter ranks fourth in the MIAA with a .365 hitting percentage. In three career matches against the Jennies, those figures drop to 1.37 kills per set and a .206 hitting percentage. The Bearcats are also one of the conference leaders in service aces, averaging 1.48 per set, sixth-most in the MIAA. Individually, freshman Nikki Madoch is sixth in the league with a 0.42 ace per set average. Defensively, freshman Kaitlyn Allison is averaging 4.70 digs per set, ranking sixth in the conference.

The Jennies have won 55 straight against the Southwest Baptist, and hold a 55-1 advantage in the all-time series, with the lone loss coming back in 1977.

Lindenwood

In their first season as a member of the MIAA, the Lindenwood Lions have posted a 5-4 record, suffering a five-set defeat at the hands of the Truman Bulldogs in their MIAA opener on Tuesday.

Sophomore Emma Brydels had been a big factor in the Lions attack, as she came into this week ranked second in the MIAA with 10.0 assists per set. Brydels holds the highest assist total in the league for both three and four-set matches, with 48 against Arkansas-Monticello, and 50 against Newman. Freshman Kayla Guyot, who was a high school teammate of the Jennies' Annie Reilly, is leading the team in kills, averaging 2.55 per set. Defensively, senior Kaila Schrimpf is averaging 4.73 digs per set, placing her fifth in the conference rankings. Her 36-dig performance against Newman is currently the highest single-game total in the league. 

Senior Leadership

Seniors Lisa Moore and Hillary McCormick have seen increased playing time so far this season, and have risen to the challenge. Moore, who had appeared in just 44 sets during her first three seasons with the Jennies, has started six matches and played in 33 of 39 sets this year. The right side hitter is averaging 1.73 kills per set with a .195 hitting percentage.  Moore also has 19 blocks so far this season. The Lee's Summit native posted her first two double-figure kill performances with 11 scores against #10 Indianapolis, and a career-high 13 kills in the win over Lock Haven. Against #10 Metro State last week, Moore set a career high with four total blocks.

McCormick has also made an impact on the offense, averaging 1.77 kills per set. Her .265 hitting percentage is third-highest on the team. McCormick set a career-high with 12 kills in the loss to Tampa, then matched it last week with 12 more against Metro State. The Overland Park, Kan. native reached the 10-kill mark for the first time as a Jennie when she recorded 11 against Indianapolis, and now has four matches this season with double-digit kills. The transfer from Division I Arkansas is also leading the team in blocks per set, tied with Peniston at 0.92 per set.

Academic Honors

For the 2011-12 school year, 16 of the 19 Jennies volleyball players were placed on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll, accounting for 84% of the total roster. Five Jennies, including returners Julia Bates and Bradye Peniston, were honored as MIAA Scholar-Athletes. The award is given to all student-athletes who are named to their respective All-MIAA Teams while maintaining at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA. Additionally, senior hitter Hillary McCormick earned the MIAA Academic Excellence Award, given to student-athletes who maintain a 4.0 cumulative GPA.

To top it all off, the Central Missouri volleyball program was awarded the AVCA Team Academic Award for their work in the classroom. The Jennies are one of only 69 programs in Division II to earn the award, making up less than 13% of Division II programs nationwide. It marks the ninth consecutive year the Jens have claimed the honor, which is earned by maintaining a 3.3 cumulative GPA throughout the entire team.

Jennies on the Air

Central Missouri volleyball can be caught online at www.AmericaOne.com. All home matches as well as select road contests, including matches this weekend, will be availiable.

Fans can catch highlights each week on Central Missouri Sportspage, Thursday nights at 7 p.m., and Saturdays at 5 p.m. on KMOS-TV. Shawn Jones will sit down with Coach Piontek throughout the season to discuss the latest match, as various Jennies will be featured throughout the year.

Jennies fans can also tune in to 98.5 “The Bar” and 1450 KOKO each Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. for Central Missouri Sports Talk, with Greg Hassler and Bill Turnage. The pair will talk UCM athletics, as well as other hot topics in the sports world. Jennies coaches and players will drop in throughout the season as well.