WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Sept. 11, 2019) - Central Missouri Jennies Volleyball gets set for one of the toughest Division II Tournaments of the year. They'll take part in the 24th annual Colorado Premier Challenge this weekend, where all 12 participating teams are at least receiving votes in the AVCA top-25poll.
Opponents
#13 Barry Buccaneers (4-0)
#5 Lewis Flyers (4-0)
Where
Denver, Colo. - Hosted by MSU Denver and Regis University
When
Friday-Saturday, Sept. 13-14
Friday, Sept. 13 - 3:30 p.m. CT vs. Barry
Friday, Sept. 13 - 7 p.m. CT vs. Lewis
Saturday - Game times and opponents to be determined
How to Watch
• All four games will have live video and live stats. The first two will be on the MSU-Denver Stretch Internet portal and the final two will be dependent on where they play. Links for video and live stats can be found at www.ucmathletics.com
First Serve
• Central Missouri Jennies Volleyball returns for the 24th annual Colorado Premier Challenge hosted by MSU-Denver and Regis.
• The Jennies are guaranteed four matches. After facing Barry and Lewis on day one, their next opponents are determined by performance.
• Last week, UCM went 3-1 in Florida with their only loss coming to defending national champions and No. 1 ranked Tampa.
• Central Missouri moved up in the AVCA top-25 poll five places to No. 12 this week.
Story Lines
• The Jennies were co-champions in the very first Colorado Premier Challenge back in 1996. They went 4-0 in the seven-team field defeating North Dakota State, Regis, Ferris State and Metro State. That was the only Challenge UCM won.
• A year ago,
Hannah Engelken made the All-Tournament team.
• UCM's all-time record at the Colorado Premier Challenge is 48-32. They are the only non-hosting school with at least 20 apperances.
• In addition to the Jennies win in 1996, they have twice finished second and three times taken third place.
• UCM has placed 15 Jennies on the CPC All-Tournament Team.
Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• Central Missouri opened their season down in the Sunshine State. They played four games in Florida going 3-1. They defeated Valdosta State (3-0), Hillsdale (3-2) and Florida Southern (3-0) but lost to No. 1 ranked Tampa (3-2).
Audrey Fisher landed 42 kills for the weekend and
Ally Offerdahl had three assist-digs double-doubles.
Previously Against This Weekend's Opponents
• It has been a while since the Jennies have faced Barry, last meeting in 2000. Barry got the win 3-1. The Jennies and Lewis met at this tournament a year ago. Lewis was ranked third in the country at the time when the Jennies won a close five-set battle. Three Jennies were in double-figure kills with Fisher landing 14 and
Rylee Neigenfind 13.
Ally Offerdahl had a 44 assist, 29 dig double-double and
Abby Skrastins had a game-high 31 digs.
UCM in the Polls
• In the American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Poll, the Jennies moved up to No. 12. It is their 427th time ranked in the top-25, by far the most in Division II.
• In the MIAA preseason poll, the Jens were picked to finish third behind Washburn and Nebraska-Kearney. They finished with 83 points and two first place votes.
Individual Milestones
•
Hannah Engelken is nearing 300 kills, needing 30 more
•
Audrey Fisher is 13 kills away from 800. She also needs two more digs for 150.
• With 21 more kills
Rylee Neigenfind will reach 400. She is also one service ace away from 20and six digs shy of 250.
•
Abby Skrastins will hit 750 digs with three more.
.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 112-0 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. Twice the Jennies hit better than .300 on opening weekend, defeating Valdosta State and Florida Southern.
Top-25 Opponents
• Last season, the Jennies played 12 top-25 ranked teams among their 33 matches. They went 5-7 in those games. The start of 2019 doesn't get any easier for UCM. Five of the first six teams they are facing are ranked or receiving votes in the top-25, including No. 1 overall, and defending champions Tampa. This weekend they take on No. 13 Barry and No. 5 Lewis. They are likely to face more as all 12 teams in the tournament are at least receiving votes.
MIAA Leaders
• The Jennies have done an excellent job of getting the ball over the net. They have the second-fewest opponents blocks in the MIAA having allowed just 19 in 16 sets or 1.19 per set.
• With 4.81 digs per set,
Abby Skrastins ranks third in the MIAA. Her 77 total digs are tied for the league lead.
•
Audrey Fisher ranks sixth in the conference in hitting percentage and fifth among players with at least 20 kills. She has the most kills of anyone in the top-six at 42.
•
Ally Offerdahl is in the MIAA top-10 in both assists and service aces. She ranks seventh in both categories with 9.94 assists per set and 0.44 aces per set. her 159 total assists are second in the league and her seven aces are tied for fourth. She is also 16th with 3.00 digs per set.
Sharing the Wealth
• Already this season seven different Jennies have recorded double-figure kills. That matches their total from 2018. Five have already reached 20 and three are at 30 or more.
• Three different Jennies have led a match in kills this season:
Rylee Neigenfind,
Aubree Bell and
Audrey Fisher.
50 Years of Excellence
• The 2019 season will mark the 50th in the storied history of Jennies Volleyball. All season long the Jennies will be celebrating that history with special events.
• Similar to the Silver Anniversary Team of 1994, the Jennies came out with a Gold Anniversary Team, adding 18 players from the past 25 years to the Silver Anniversary Team.
• The biggest event will be Oct. 12 during homecoming, when members of the 50 year team are invited back for a special celebration, including an on-court ceremony.
Scouting the Opposition
No. 13 Barry Buccaneers
• The Barry Buccaneers started their season off on the right foot going 4-0 at their home Barry University Classic. They defeated Saint Anselm, American International, East Stroudsburg and Minnesota State all in straight sets.
• The Bucs hit .258 while holding opponents to a .032 attack percentage which is the eighth best in Division II.
• Kristina Filimonova and Megi Buvinic each landed 36 kills last week and lead the Bucs. They are also both hitting over .200 and have two matches with double-figure kills. Filimonova is also second on the team with 12 total blocks. She has five solo blocks which is the most for the Bucs.
• Kishara Gordon has 20 kills and is hitting .562 on the season. She's committed just two errors on 32 swings and leads the team with 13 blocks, three solo.
• Setter Bianca Pasca holds the team lead with 95 assists. She is also among the league leaders in service aces with 14 which is third in the NCAA and her 1.27 aces per set is fifth.
• Defensively, Barry is averaging 16 digs per set and 2.58 blocks per set. They have blocked 31 attack which has them ranked 31st in Division II. Their 2.58 blocks per set ranks sixth.
• Audren Rose leads Barry with 67 digs and 5.58 digs per set. She's been in double-figure digs in all four games.
• Rose and Buvinic share the team lead with 44 service reception attempts. Rose has committed just one error for a .977 reception percentage.
#5 Lewis Flyers
• Sitting at 4-0 this season are the Lewis Flyers. They won all four of their matches down at the Nova Southeastern Tournament. Three of their four wins were done in straight sets. They had a tough match with No. 15 Palm Beach Atlantic, winning 16-14 in five.
• The Flyers are led by former Jennies assistant coach Lorelee Smith. Smith is in her 13th season with Lewis. She spent five seasons with the Jennies from 2002-06.
• Lewis is led by a fierce three-some in Alexandra Preuss, Ava Venema and Colleen Wilhelm. They each have more than 40 kills in 14 sets played. Preuss leads the squad with 46 while Venema has 41 and Wilhelm 40.
• Venema also leads the team hitting .494 which is ranked 14th in Division II. As a team, the Flyers are hitting .280 while holding opponents to just a .107 attack percentage.
• Lewis is averaging 17.64 digs per set. Ronni Katarzynski and Jamie Poppen each average more than four digs per set. Katarzynsi is up to 4.27 digs per set with Poppen at 4.14.
• The Flyers typically deploy two setters. Mikah Freppon is the primary with 108 assists and 9.00 per set. Haley Sobieralski averages 5.89 assists per set and has 53 this season.
• Preuss isn't only scoring on kills, she leads the Flyers with seven service aces. Lewis has 27 aces this season compared to just 14 allowed.
• Venema has 15 blocks this season as Lewis averages 1.64 per set. She's put back six solo and nine assists.
