Jennies Continue MIAA Play with a Pair of Weekend Matches

WARRENSBURG, Mo. - The No. 13 ranked Central Missouri Jennies return to Warrensburg for the first time in two weeks as they host Fort Hays State (Fri., Oct. 2) and No. 16 Nebraska-Kearney (Sat., Oct. 3) in a pair of MIAA matches.

First Serve
• UCM returns to action this weekend as the MIAA heads into week two of conference play. This week marks the first home conference matches for the Jennies as they host Fort Hays State Friday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. and No. 16 Nebraska-Kearney Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.
• The Jennies went 1-1 during the MIAA opening weekend. They fell to then-ranked 18th Central Oklahoma before coming back to defeat Pittsburg State in five sets.
• The Tigers are 1-2 thus far in the MIAA after defeating then-seventh ranked Washburn in the last match. They've fallen to Nebraska-Kearney and Emporia State to begin their conference slate. FHSU enters Warrensburg in search of win No. 10 as they're 9-6 on the season
• Nebraska-Kearney has also played three conference matches so far. They're 2-1 in conference with wins over Fort Hays State and Emporia State. Their only loss was to then-No. 7 Washburn. The Lopers are 11-3 this season and are ranked No. 16 by the AVCA.

On The Air
• Matches this weekend will be webcast online through Central Missouri's Stretch Internet portal at UCMathletics.com/gamecentral. It is a pay-per-view broadcast.

Story Lines
• After dropping their first conference match of the year, UCM will look to get above .500 for the first time this season in MIAA play.
• Jennies senior Annie Reilly is one service ace away from 200 for her career. At 199 she ranks third in Jennies history, just two behind second all-time.
• Against Fort Hays State last season, the Jennies won both matches, including a 3-0 sweep in Warrensburg. UCM is 20-1 all time against the Tigers with their only loss coming in 2003.
• UCM also swept the Lopers last season. UNK was ranked in the top-five in both matches, but the Jennies were able to win the season series 2-0. UCM has won five in a row against UNK.
• The Jennies went 22-9 last season on their way to a share of the MIAA regular season championship (an MIAA Tournament Championship was not played) and 32nd straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Quick Hits
Jennies Rankings
A pair of Jennies seniors are climbing the UCM all-time rankings. Libero Annie Reilly is just one service ace away from 200 for her career. Her 199 career aces place her third all-time at UCM just two behind second place.

In addition to Reilly, Carly Sojka is moving up on the all-time points list. She's recorded 260.5 points in 15 matches and has now accumulated 1,525 career points. Last weekend, Sojka moved into fourth-place all-time in points and is 37.5 points away from cracking the top three.

Junior setter Kourtney Thompson is eighth all-time in assists per set at 9.10. She went over nine assists per set for the first time in her career after her 47-assists performance against Missouri S&T. Thompson has also dished out at least 25 assists in 38 consecutive matches.

National Rankings
In addition to their career rankings at UCM, Reilly and Sojka are among elite company in the NCAA Division II. Among all active players, Reilly is first in the nation with 2,167 digs, the only active player with more than 2,000 career digs. She is also in the top-five in service aces with her 199 checking in at No. 5.

Sojka has also climbed into the top-five among active NCAA players in kills. With 34 last week, Sojka is fifth with 1,374 kills.

UCM in the Polls
After going 1-1 last week, the Jennies fell back to No. 13 in the AVCA Coaches Poll. UCM started the season at No. 13 in the preseason poll and has been ranked as high as No. 6. The Jennies have been ranked in every AVCA poll since its inception in 1986, a span of 375 polls.

National Leaders
Carly Sojka is ranked in the NCAA top-15 in three different categories. She is fifth in the nation in total kills with 230 and 11th in total attacks at 608. She is also 14th in points per set with 4.82. Sojka leads the MIAA in total kills and points per set.

Annie Reilly is also in the NCAA top-15 in total digs. She's 15th in the nation and leads the MIAA with 286 digs.

As a team, UCM in the Division II top-10 in four different categories. The Jens are third in both kills (788) and kills per set (14.59). They're also sixth in total assists with 788 and 10th in hitting percentage at .264. Kourtney Thompson is largely to thank for the assists, she's 19th in the nation with 542 total assists.

Jones Reaches New Highs
Maddie Jones continued her fine season last week. She set a new career-high with 20 kills against Central Oklahoma. She's reached double-digit kills in four straight matches and has hit over .300 in 11 matches this season.

Piontek vs. the Tigers
Coach Piontek has never lost to Fort Hays while at the helm at UCM. He is 10-0 in his career.

Piontek vs. the Lopers
Coach Piontek is 5-3 against Nebraska-Kearney lifetime. He started his career 0-3 against UNK, but has since won five straight including two five-set wins for the MIAA tournament championship and in the first round of the Central Regional in 2014.

Scouting the Opposition
Fort Hays State
Overall Record: 9-6
Conference Record: 1-2 (MIAA)
Series History: UCM leads 20-1
Last Meeting: 2014, UCM 3-1
Head Coach: Kurt Kohler (90-125, seventh season)
• Fort Hays State enters at 9-6 overall and 1-2 in the MIAA. They're lone win came in their last match, defeating then-No. 7 Washburn in straight sets on the road.
• The Tigers return 2014 Second Team All-MIAA selection Mallory Flagor. Flagor is second on the team with 3.26 kills per set and a team-leading 44 total blocks. She is also a sound defender, collecting 137 digs and 176 service receptions with only eight reception errors.
• Junior middle hitter Rebekah Spainhour is sixth in the MIAA in hitting percentage at .329. She's landed 130 kills with only 32 errors on 298 attempts. Her 2.41 kills per set rank third on the team.
• Crystal Witten is the team's kills leader. She has 183 kills and 3.39 kills per set. Her 202 digs are also a team-best and she's already totaled nine double-doubles.
• The Tiger's Hannah Wagy leads the conference and is 14th in Division II with 549 total assists. Her 10.17 assists per set also put her in the top-five in the conference. Wagy had back-to-back 50+ assist performances earlier in the month including a season-best 54 against Cameron.
• FHSU has 685 team kills which rank 17th in the nation and fourth in the conference. Their .215 hitting percentage also ranks high at 63rd and fifth in the MIAA.

Nebraska-Kearney
Overall Record: 12-3
Conference Record: 2-1 (MIAA)
Series History: UCM leads 10-5
Last Meeting: 2014, UCM 3-2
Head Coach: Rick Squiers (519-75, 17th season)
• UNK enters Warrensburg as the No. 16 team in the nation. They're 12-3 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA with their only loss coming to then-seventh ranked Washburn in Topeka. The Lopers defeated Fort Hays and Emporia State last week.
• Four of last year's six All-MIAA selections are back in 2015 for the Lopers. That list includes last year's All MIAA First Teamer Erin Seele. Seele currently leads the MIAA with 0.57 service aces per set.  
• The Lopers have the top-two in the MIAA in service aces. Right behind Seele is Lindsey Smith at 0.43 aces per set.
• Smith also leads the MIAA in assists per set. At 11.48, she is also 12th in the NCAA.
• The Lopers are led offensively by Kaitlynn Thomas and Annie Wolfe. They both have over 100 kills with Thomas leading the way at 172 and 3.44 kills per set. Wolfe has totaled 128 kills and is also second on the team with 160 digs and 3.20 digs per set. She also has 247 service receptions to lead the team.
• Ellie McDonnell is the Lopers defensive leader with 230 digs and 4.51 digs per set which is sixth in the MIAA.