The Jennies hold on to their No. 8 rank for the third straight week, in the latest edition of the AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll. The Jens received 559 votes, up from their total of 553 a week ago.

MIAA member Nebraska-Kearney retains the No. 1 rank they earned two weeks ago, receiving 29 of a possible 32 first place votes. The Lopers, along with #3 Washburn, are the last remaining unbeaten teams in Division II this year.

#2 Southwest Minnesota State, #4 Concordia-St. Paul and #5 West Texas A&M round out the poll's top five. Just ahead of the Jennies are #6 Minnesota Duluth, and #7 Tampa.

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 fifth, seventh, and ninth in this weeks poll.

One of last week's opponents, Truman, who the Jens defeated in five sets, are just outside of the top 25, receiving 17 points.

A Win for the Jennies...

at Missouri Southern

• would be the 33rd straight victory over the Lions ... would be the 21st road win in the series, keeping the Jennies undefeated against Missouri Southern in Joplin ... would extend the Jens' winning streak against Missouri schools to 44 matches.

at Central Oklahoma

• would be the 7th straight win over UCO ... The second win in as many meetings on the road against the Bronchos ... The first MIAA victory over UCO in program history.

at Pittsburg State

• would improve the Jens' record to 48-5-1 all-time against the Gorillas ... the 17th win in Pittsburg ... the sixth consecutive win for the Jennies over Pittsburg State.

A Loss for the Jennies...

at Missouri Southern

• would be the first loss to the Lions in Joplin in school history ... snap a 43-game winning streak against Missouri schools ... the first loss to MSSU since 1995 ... be the first set win for the Lions since 2008.

at Central Oklahoma

• would be the first win for UCO in program history ... The first MIAA victory for the Bronchos against UCM in program history.

at Pittsburg State

• would snap a five-game win streak for the Jennies against the Gorillas ... be the sixth loss for PSU in program history.

Players of the Week

For the second consecutive week, the Jennies swept the MIAA volleyball athlete of the week awards. Senior hitter Bradye Peniston claimed her second MIAA Hitter of the Week honor, after averaging 3.62 kills per set and a .388 hitting percentage. Peniston recorded 13 kills in the straight-set win over Missouri Western, then 16 kills at home against Truman. She also averaged 1.38 blocks per set over the week, and 4.69 points per set in a pair of victories for the Jennies.

Freshman libero Annie Reilly claimed her first ever MIAA Specialst of the Week award, after averaging 6.25 digs per set in the two matches last week. Reilly also dealt out a team-high four aces and helped on the offensive end with six total assists. Reilly is averaging 4.53 digs per set on the season, ranking eighth in the MIAA, and second among freshmen.

As a team, the Jennies have won five of the eight MIAA athlete of the week awards in volleyball this season. At least one player has earned the award in three of the four weeks of the season thus far, including sweeping both awards twice.

Opponent Preview

Missouri Southern

The Lions are still in search of their first win this season, starting the year 0-12. MSSU have won just four sets so far this season, and have fallen in all 12 sets in MIAA play this year. The Lions rank fourth in the league in service aces, averaging 1.45 aces per set. 

Freshman Abby Finder has been the anchor of the team's offense; the setter is averaging 6.78 assists per set, ranking ninth in the MIAA. Katie Politte leads the team in kills, averaging 2.75 per set. Defensively, Sydney Potts averages a team-high 3.05 digs per set.

The Jennies hold a 56-1-1 advantage in the all-time series with Missouri Southern, having claimed victory in the last 32 straight meetings. The Jens have never lost to the Lions in Joplin, going 20-0 as the visiting side.

Central Oklahoma

UCO earned their first ever conference win as a member of the MIAA in their first ever conference match, a 3-0 win over Pittsburg State. Since then, the Bronchos have struggled, dropping the last five heading into Tuesday night's match against Missouri Southern.

The Bronchos boast one of the best hitters in the MIAA this season, in senior Morgan Roy. Roy is leading the league in kills per set, with a 3.60 average. She also ranks 43rd in the nation in kills. Senior Faith Harmon is one of the league's leading setters, averaging 8.29 assists per set, the seventh-highest average in the MIAA. Defensively, junior Tate Hardaker is averaging 5.11 digs per set, ranking 3rd in the conference and 29th in Division II.

As a team, the Bronchos are one of the best blocking teams in the league. UCO averages 2.11 blocks per set, ranking fourth in the MIAA and 52nd in Division II. 

This week's matchup is the first meeting between the Jennies and Bronchos since 2000, when the Jennies won a straight-set match in Edmond. The two schools met in the 1994 NCAA Regional Final, where Central Missouri went on to win on their home court 3-1, before finishing fourth at the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

Pittsburg State

The Gorillas are still in search of their first conference win, and have dropped their past two matches after knocking off Missouri Southern in a non-conference affair. Pittsburg State started the year strong, going 7-0 through the early portion of the schedule, but have now lost six of their last seven.

One of the better statistical teams in the MIAA this year, the Gorillas rank fifth in hitting percentage (.212), and assists (12.28 per set), and have the fourth-best kills per set average, at 13.62, which additionally ranks 20th nationally. Their 2.13 blocks per set average ranks second in the MIAA.

Pittsburg State uses a balanced attack on offense, with four players averaging more than 2.4 kills per set. Defensively, Jordan Rehm is averaging a team-high 3.06 digs per set.

The Jennies lead the all-time series over the Gorillas, 47-5-1, and have won the past five meetings.

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.

Records & Milestones

With her 20-point performance in the win over Truman last weekend, senior hitter Brayde Peniston moved into fifth place on UCM's all-time points list. Peniston has totaled 1,296.5 points during her career at UCM, and is currently on pace to potentially move into the top three on the list. If she does, she would join her former teammates Allie Huffman and Paula Harris at the top of the points list. 

Head Coach Flip Piontek reached a major milestone earlier this season, with the Jennies' 3-2 win over #17 Lewis. Coach Piontek recorded his 100th career win in that match, becoming the second coach in UCM history to record 100 victories.

Freshman libero Annie Reilly has shown potential to break into the record books after a strong start to her first season. Reilly has totaled 240 digs on the year, just 372 shy of besting Katie Tarka's 2005 season, where she recorded 612 digs, the tenth-highest total in a single season in Jennies history. Reilly's dig per set average of 4.53 ranks tenth on the single-season list, and fourth on the career list.