#8 CENTRAL MISSOURI JENNIES (8-3, 2-0 MIAA) at MISSOURI WESTERN GRIFFONS (7-4, 1-2 MIAA)
Friday, September 21 | 7:00 p.m.
MWSU Fieldhouse | St. Joseph, Mo.
#8 CENTRAL MISSOURI JENNIES (8-3, 2-0 MIAA) vs. TRUMAN BULLDOGS (8-3, 2-1 MIAA)
Saturday, September 22 | 7:00 p.m.
Multipurpose Building | Warrensburg, Mo.
Live Stats - MWSU | Live Stats - TSU | Live Webcast (Truman match only) | Game Notes
This Week
The #8 Central Missouri Jennies are looking to extend their five-match winning streak, and keep a perfect record in MIAA play, as they travel to Missouri Western to take on the Griffons before returning to the Multipurpose Building to face the Truman Bulldogs. The Jens will also look to extend their 41-match win streak against Missouri schools, which dates back to 2009.
Last Time Out
The Jennies started out on the right foot in MIAA competition this year, claiming a pair of straight set wins over Southwest Baptist and Lindenwood. While the Jens did not drop a set, both matches turned out to be fairly close contests. On the road at Southwest Baptist, the Jennies needed a 27-25 third set to clinch the victory. A day later while hosting Lindenwood, the Lions nearly evened up the match at 1-1 before the Jens rallied to win the second set 26-24. With the pair of wins, the Jennies recorded their third straight MIAA opening win, and their third straight 2-0 start to league play.
Offensive Leader
Senior hitter
Bradye Peniston is UCM's leader in kills, averaging 3.33 per set. Peniston has recorded double-digit kills in her last six matches, the longest such streak by any Jennie this season. Her kills average ranks seventh in the MIAA, and 95th in all of Division II. She also is among the national leaders in hitting percentage, with a .368 average. She ranks fourth in the league, and has the most kills among the top ten in that category (150). Nationally, Peniston is 46th in hitting percentage.
Peniston had game highs against both the Bearcats and Lions last week, with 15 and 13 kills, respectively. Against Lindenwood, she also picked up a team-high five total blocks. Her points per set average of 3.97 ranks fifth in the MIAA.
National Rankings
As a team, the Jennies boast one of the most efficient offensive attacks in Division II. The Jens average 13.53 kills per set, 23rd-most in the nation. UCM has put down a total of 609 kills so far this season, the most in the MIAA, and second-most in Division II. The Jennies also rank 30th in the country in assists per game, averaging 12.44 per set. Only #6 West Texas A&M and #19 Minnesota State-Moorhead have recorded more total assists than the Jennies' 560 helpers.
Jennies in the Polls
By picking up three victories last week, the Jennies retrained their #8 ranking in the latest AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll. The top eight from last week remained the same, with some re-arranging within that group. MIAA newcomers Nebraska-Kearney held on to their No. 1 spot they gained last week, receiving 24 of 32 first place votes.
Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth each moved up one spot to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, while Southwest Minnesota State suffered their first loss of the year and fell to No. 4. Conference rivals Washburn held steady at No. 5.
Six of the top eight teams in the poll, including Central Missouri, are from the NCAA Central Region. In all, eight Central Region teams are ranked in the top 25.
The Jennies are also the top ranked team with three losses on the year. Each of those three losses, however, have come against teams that are ranked sixth, seventh, and tenth in this weeks poll.
One of this week's opponents, Truman, are just outside of the top 25, receiving 29 points.
Super Setter
Junior setter
Julia Bates posted two more solid performances last weekend, with a total of 65 assists over six sets for a 10.83 per set average. On the year, Bates is averaging 9.98 assists per set, ranking second in the MIAA. The Leavenworth, Kan. native ranks 38th nationally in assists per set, but third in Division II in total assists, with 449.
In the straight-set win at Southwest Baptist last Friday, Bates averaged an even 12.0 assists per set, totaling 36 assists off 88 sets (.409). She also recorded 10 digs to earn her fourth double-double of the year. In the match against Lindenwood, Bates totaled 29 assists, as well as 6 kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
Double Trouble
Sophomore
Aubri Renshaw has stepped into the Jennies lineup as the second offensive option behind
Bradye Peniston. The outside hitter in her first season at UCM is averaging 2.71 kills per set, the second-highest average on the team. Renshaw set the highest single-game kill total in the MIAA this year, when she recorded 26 kills against #2 Tampa. Her 16-kill performance against #14 West Texas A&M was the third-highest total in a three-set match in the league.
Renshaw has recorded the most kills-to-digs double-doubles on the team this year, with four. She posted a pair of double-doubles on the same day, on September 8, against #17 Lewis and #21 Colorado School of Mines.
Last week, Renshaw's offensive output slowed, tallying only 13 kills over nine sets, and combined for a .113 hitting percentage over all three matches. Her numbers improved in the Jens' last match, going 5-for-12 with two errors (.250) in the win over Lindenwood.
Freshman Phenoms
Three freshmen have proven to be key components to the Jennies success this season, in outside hitter
Carly Sojka, libero
Annie Reilly, and defensive specialist
Mikalee Monachino. The three first-year players have combined for 9.32 digs per set, 24 of the team's 45 service aces, and 2.65 kills per set.
Sojka missed the first week of the season due to injury, but since then has worked her way into the starting lineup, starting the last six matches for the Jennies. She put together a five-match streak of ten or more kills that finally snapped against Lindenwood, where she only scored six. Sojka had the best performance of her young career against #17 Lewis, where she set career highs in kills (16), hitting percentage (.441), digs (19) and points (16.5). She has recorded three double-doubles on the year, the latest of which came at Southwest Baptist, where she posted 11 kills and 13 digs.
Reilly has reached double-figures in digs in the first nine matches this season, the longest streak for Central Missouri this season. The Overland Park, Kan. native is averaging 4.22 digs per set, ranking her ninth in the MIAA. She recorded a career-high with 30 digs against #17 Lewis, and has the highest three-set dig total in the MIAA this year, with her 27-dig performance against #14 West Texas A&M. Among freshmen, Reilly ranks 19th in digs per set in Division II this season.
Monachino, has strengthened the back line play this year, averaging 1.98 digs per set. Along with Reilly, Monachino is tied for the team lead in service aces, as both Jennies have 12 on the year and are averaging 0.27 per set. The Jacksonville, Fla. native has reached double-digits in digs three times this year, with a career-high 15 digs coming against #17 Lewis.
Players of the Week
The Jennies earned a pair of Player of the Week honors, with senior
Bradye Peniston winning the MIAA Hitter of the Week award, while junior setter
Julia Bates claimed the MIAA Specialist of the Week award. Peniston earned the award for the first time this season and the second of her career. Bates was named Specialist of the Week for the second time this season, and sixth overall during her time at UCM.
Peniston averaged 4.33 kills per set during the three wins last week, with a hitting percentage of .403. Bates recorded a 11.11 assists per set average, as well as her fourth double-double of the season against Southwest Baptist.
Opponent Preview
Missouri Western
The Griffons are in the midst of a five-game homestand, where they have gone 1-2 thus far. The Griffs picked up a straight set win over Missouri Southern between losses against Northwest Missouri and Emporia State.
Missouri Western boasts one of the better back lines in the MIAA, as the Griffons average 16.08 digs per set, ranking fourth in the league. Nationally, Western ranks 68th in Division II in digs per set. Offensively, the Griffons are fifth in the MIAA and 39th nationally, with an average of 16.08 assists per set.
Freshman Melissa Cairns leads the team with 2.40 kills per set. Sophomore Amanda Boender is averaging 0.92 blocks per set, ranking ninth in the MIAA.
The Jennies have not lost to the Griffons during the Piontek era, going 6-0 in that time. Overall, UCM leads the series over Missouri Western 71-4, and hold a 28-2 advantage all time in St. Joseph. The Jens have won the last 13 meetings with the Griffons.
Truman
The Bulldogs enter play this week with an 8-3 record, and a 2-1 start to the MIAA season. Truman knocked off Lindenwood and Southwest Baptist in Pershing Arena, but fell on the road to #5 Washburn in a five-set match.
Truman is one of the better offensive squads in the MIAA, hitting for a .206 average, fifth-best in the league. Senior Megan Sharpe ranks fifth in the league with a .354 hitting percentge, and leads the league in blocks per set, with 1.29. Nationally, Sharpe is 27th in Division II in blocks per set. Sophomore Allie Brak is second in the league with 3.62 kills per set.
Central Missouri has claimed the last five matches against the Bulldogs, with their last loss coming in 2008. Truman is the last team from the state of Missouri to beat the Jennies, in their 2008 South Central Regional matchup. The Bulldogs claimed a 3-1 victory in the semifinal match. Overall, the Jennies hold a 56-31 advantage in the series, and are 30-10 at home against the Bulldogs.
Senior Performances
Seniors
Lisa Moore and
Hillary McCormick have seen increased playing time so far this season, and have risen to the challenge. Moore is averaging a career-high 1.82 kills per set this season, recording a career-high 13 kills against Lock Haven earlier this year. Last week, Moore averaged 1.89 kills per set and a .300 hitting percentage. Moore had one of her better performances of the year at Southwest Baptist; the Lee's Summit native tallied nine kills and a .389 hitting percentage, while helping on defense with four block assists to total 11 points in the match.
McCormick has started all 11 matches this season, and is averaging 1.75 kills per set. the senior also leads the team in blocks, with 0.95 per set, including a team-high eight solo blocks. She ranks sixth in the MIAA in blocks per set, and just outside the top 100 across the nation in Division II. Last week, McCormick averaged an even 2.0 kills per set, and tallied five total blocks against Lindenwood, including one solo block.
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.
