Jennies Volleyball on the Road for Weekend Action

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Oct. 11, 2018) - Central Missouri Jennies Volleyball is on the road for two this weekend, including their second straight top-25 matchup.

Opponents: Oct. 12 - at No. 17 Central Oklahoma (19-4, 7-2 MIAA)
                     Oct. 13 - at Pittsburg State (15-7, 4-5 MIAA)

Where: Edmond, Okla. / Pittsburg, Kan.

When: Friday, Oct. 12 at No. 17 Central Oklahoma - 6 p.m.
            Saturday, Oct. 13 at Pittsburg State - 2 p.m.

How to Watch
• This weekend's matches will be broadcast live on the MIAA Network. Fans can access the stream by visiting www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules. The game will also feature live stats which can be found at www.ucmathletics.com.

First Serve
• Central Missouri is on the road for two more matches this weekend when they take on No. 17 Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State.
• For the second straight week, the Jennies are ranked 16th in the AVCA Coaches Poll. They have been ranked in every poll this season and reached a high of ninth earlier in the year. 
• Central Missouri played a pair of MIAA matches last weekend, going 1-1 in the process. They swept Fort Hays State, their fourth straight win and fourth straight 3-0 sweep Friday evening, but fell to No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney 3-0 on Saturday.

Story Lines
• This is the start of a three game road trip for the Jennies. Following this weekend, they'll be on the road to face Lindenwood next Tuesday.
• Central Missouri is 14-3 all time against Central Oklahoma. The last time the Jennies were in Edmond was in 2016, where they suffered a 3-0 loss. The two teams are 3-3 against each other in their last six matches, dating back to 2015.
• The Jennies and Gorillas have had a long-standing, but one-sided rivalry. They first met in 1978 and the Jennies are 60-5-1 all-time against PSU.
• Last weekend marked the halfway point of the MIAA season. Each conference team will play 18 games. At the halfway point, the Jennies are 6-3 in the league are currently in fifth place. Each of the top four teams in the league will host an MIAA Quarterfinal Round match with the semifinals and finals at the site of the highest remaining seed. 

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• Central Missouri went 1-1 last weekend, defeating Fort Hays State 3-0, but falling to No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney by that same score. Sophomore setter Ally Offerdahl handed out 13.16 assists per set last weekend and claimed her third MIAA Specialist of the Week award.

Previously Against Central Oklahoma/Pittsburg State
• Last season at home the Jennies defeated both Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State. The Bronchos, ranked No. 10 at the time, fell 3-1. Kasey Hohlen had 24 kills and the Jennies hit .311 for the match. Aubree Bell added 17 kills and Audrey Fisher 14. In a 3-0 sweep of Pittsburg State, the Jennies used 13 players and held PSU to a .176 attack percentage. Fisher led the team with 10 kills and Kylie Hohlen had 14 digs. 

UCM in the Polls
• In the American Volleyball Coaches Poll, the Jennies remained at No. 16 for the second straight week. They had been ranked as  high as No. 9 and have appeared in all seven polls. The Jennies were ranked in the top-10 twice this season after starting out at No. 22 in the preseason.
• In the MIAA preseason poll, the Jens were picked to finish fourth behind Nebraska-Kearney, Missouri Western and Central Oklahoma. They finished with 85 points and one first place vote. 

Around the MIAA
• All 12 teams are in action as conference play continues this weekend. 
• Washburn is the last of the unbeatens in the MIAA at 9-0. Nebraska-Kearney is right behind them at 8-1 and Northwest Missouri and Central Oklahoma are 7-2 and the Jennies are 6-3. The top four seeds all host an MIAA Tournament First Round match.

Individual Milestones
• Kylie Hohlen is four digs away from 1800. She also needs seven more assists to get to 200. 
• Ally Offerdahl needs 13 more kills to get to 200.
• Carly Offerdahl needs nine more digs to get to 900. 
• With three more assists Abby Skrastins will reach 100. 
• Hannah VanBuskirk is eight digs away from 100. 

.300 or Better
• If you didn't see the match, a good way to know if UCM won is to look at the hitting percentage. Under Coach Piontek, Central Missouri 109-0 when they hit at least .300. While it hasn't happened often under Piontek, UCM is just 3-13 when surrendering a .300 attack percentage to their opponent. The Jennies hit .328 Tuesday against William Jewell, their highest attack percentage this season and first time over .300. 

League Leaders
• Audrey Fisher leads the MIAA hitting .360 this season. She is also fourth in the league with 3.56 kills per set.
• Kylie Hohlen is fifth in kills per set with 3.11.
• Ally Offerdahl moved up to third in assists per set with 10.79.
• Hannah Engelken is tied for fourth with 0.99 blocks per set.
• Abby Skrastins is in the top-10 in digs with 4.84 digs per set which is seventh in the league. 
• As a team, the Jennies are third in the league with 14.08 kills per set and 13.27 assists per set.
• They also sit a top the league with 18.93 digs per set. 

Top-25 Opponents
• This season the Jennies have already played eight top-25 opponents. They are 4-4 in those games this season and are 61-46 all-time under Coach Piontek against ranked opponents. The Jennies first opponent this weekend will be against No. 17 Central Oklahoma, their second straight ranked opponent. Still ahead on their schedule is currently ninth-ranked Washburn and Northwest Missouri who is receiving votes.

Heating Up
• In each of the Jennies last eight matches they have hit at least .200 with five matches above .250 and two higher than .300.
• During that stretch, the Jennies have hit .264 and raised their team hitting percentage .018 points from .211 to .229.

Scouting the Opposition
No. 17 Central Oklahoma Bronchos
• The Bronchos sit one spot behind the Jennies in the AVCA National rankings at 17th. They are 19-4 this season and 7-2 in the MIAA.
• UCO has won three straight matches with their last two in five sets.
• As a team, the Bronchos are fourth in the MIAA in hitting percentage at .238. That is .100 points higher than their opponents. Keeping opponents to a .138 attack percentage which is third in the MIAA.
• Senior Taylor Bevis is second in the league in kills per set with 3.80 and her 304 total kills are the most in the league. She is also hitting .220.
• UCO has used two setters this season, almost interchangeably. Ericka Scholl is averaging 5.96 assists per set this season and McKenzie Fyfe has 4.82. They have each played in at least 74 of the team's 82 sets. Scholl is also the team leader in service aces with 31. 
• Libero Dominique Lipari is second in the MIAA in digs per set at 5.37. She has 14 service aces as well.
• Jordan Spence averages just one one block per set at 0.99 and has 75 total, including 17 solo blocks. 

Pittsburg State Gorillas
• Pittsburg State started out red hot, but have struggled lately with three straight losses. They are 4-5 in the MIAA and 15-7 overall after winning their first seven matches.
• The Gorillas are the league leaders in service aces with 147 and 1.84 aces per set. Lauren Dunn is also the conference's individual leader with 0.65 aces per set and 51 total aces.
• The Gorillas are hitting just above .200 for the season at .204. 
• Lauren Regier leads the offense with 236 kills and 2.95 kills per set. Behind Regier is Meg Auten and Morgan Henning, each of who missed time in the middle of the season. Auten has 154 kills and 2.44 kills per set and Henning has 131/2.08 kps.
• Camryn Blanton has been the Gorillas primary setter this season. She has 8.90 assists per set and a .352 set percentage. She is also averaging 2.57 digs per set. 
• The defensive leader has been Emily Regier with 76 total blocks and 0.96 blocks per set. At 1.73 blocks per set as a team, the Gorillas are near the bottom in the MIAA.
• Dunn not only leads the team in aces, but her 4.72 digs per set are tops on the team as well.