No. 5 UCM Volleyball Hosts No. 14 Nebraska Kearney Friday, Fort Hays State Saturday

No. 5 Central Missouri (12-2, 5-1 MIAA) vs. No. 14 Nebraska Kearney (13-3, 4-3 MIAA)
Friday, Oct. 8 | 6 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Multipurpose Building)
Live Stats | Live Video

Healthcare Workers Appreciation Night
No. 5 Central Missouri vs. Fort Hays State (8-8, 2-5 MIAA)
Saturday, Oct. 9 | 6:30 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Multipurpose Building)
Live Stats | Live Video

Match Notes (PDF)

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This Week
• The fifth-ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies volleyball team returns home to the friendly confines of the UCM Multipurpose Building for a pair of MIAA matches against Nebraska Kearney and Fort Hays State. Central Misssouri will host the No. 14 Lopers out of Kearney, Neb., Friday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. before welcoming the Fort Hays State Tigers to Warrensburg Saturday, Oct. 9, at 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday's match vs. Fort Hays State is Healthcare Workers Appreciation Night. All healthcare workers and their family members will receive FREE admission to the match with a valid healthcare worker ID.
• The Jennies are coming off a perfect 2-0-week, downing Pittsburg State at home, 3-1, Thursday, Sept. 30, before sweeping Missouri Southern, 3-0, Saturday, Oct. 2, in Joplin, Mo.

How to Watch
• Live video (pay-per-view) and live statistics will be available for both matches. For links, please visit www.UCMAthletics.com.

Last Time Out
•  Audrey Fisher had 10 kills and hit .318 leading No. 5-ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies volleyball to a 3-0 sweep at Missouri Southern Saturday, Oct. 2, inside Robert Ellis Gymnasium. The set scores were 25-17, 25-12 and 25-19.
• Fisher reached double figure kills for the eighth time this season with her 10 kills on 22 attempts, while setters Ally Offerdahl (18) and Chandler Vaughan (13) both reached double digits in assists, and outside hitter Aubree Bell compiled three service aces, pacing UCM offensively.
• Sydney Lierz (13 digs), Fisher (one block solo, two block assists) and Hannah Engelken (three block assists) led Central Missouri defensively in the contest.
• The Jennies outhit the Lions in the match, .313 to .098, marking the sixth time in 2021 UCM has kept an opponent below .100 hitting.

Jennies in the MIAA Statistics
• Entering the weekend, the Jennies rank first in the MIAA in opponent hitting percentage (.125), second in digs (18.81 per set), third in hitting percentage (.242), fourth in assists (12.71 per set) and kills (13.81 per set), and sixth in blocks (2.08 per set) and service aces (1.56 per set).
• Individually, Hannah Engelken is third in the MIAA in blocks, averaging 1.08 blocks per set with 52 total blocks, while Ally Offerdahl is fourth in assists with 10.08 assists per set on 484 total assists. Audrey Fisher is sixth in hitting percentage at .339 and eighth in kills with 3.08 per set, and Kersti Nix is seventh in kills with 3.17 per set. Rylie Barnum is sixth in digs with 218 digs and 4.64 digs per set.

Individual Milestones
• Ally Offerdahl is seventh in program history in career assists with 4,438 and fourth in career assists per set at 10.85 entering Friday's contest against Nebraska Kearney.
• Fisher is currently tied for 10th in career hitting percentage at .339 in 409 career sets played. She's just two points shy of moving up to ninth.
• Hannah Engelken reached the 300-block career milestone after tallying three block assists at Missouri Southern Oct. 2. Going into the weekend, she is at exactly 300 career blocks (35 blocks solos, 265 block assists).

.300 or Better
• Under Coach Piontek, Central Missouri 122-0 when they hit at least .300. While it hasn't happened often under Piontek, UCM is just 3-14 when surrendering a .300 attack percentage to their opponent. The Jennies hit better than .300 in 10 matches in 2019.

UCM in the Polls
• The Jennies are one of four MIAA volleyball teams in the latest AVCA Top-25 Coaches' Poll released Oct. 4. Washburn is this week's number one team, while UCM is fifth, Northwest Missouri is 10th and Nebraska Kearney is 14th. Central Oklahoma is receiving votes, respectively.
• In the MIAA preseason poll, the Jens were picked to finish fourth behind Nebraska-Kearney, Washburn and Northwest Missouri. They finished with 75 points.

Experience Throughout the Lineup
• Central Missouri welcomes back five of its starters from the 2019 team that posted an overall record of 23-10 and finished third in the MIAA at 15-5.
• The Jennies return six All-MIAA honorees from 2019 in 2021, including middle blockers Audrey Fisher (first team) and Hannah Engelken (honorable mention), outside hitters Sydney Lierz (first team), Aubree Bell (honorable mention) and Hannah VanBuskirk (honorable mention), and setter Ally Offerdahl (first team). Lierz was also the 2019 MIAA Freshman of the Year, while Engelken was the 2018 Freshman of the Year.

Welcome to Warrensburg!
• UCM welcomes four newcomers to the team in 2021 in freshmen Grace Winkelmann (Rhineland, Mo.), Tiffany Little (Parker, Colo.), Arley Anderson (Kansas City, Mo.) and Justine Bichelmeyer (Shawnee, Kan.). Winkelmann is the younger sister of former Jennies basketball and volleyball standout Shelby Winkelmann (2012-15).

Up Next
• The Jennies host Central Oklahoma at the Multipurpose Building Thursday, Oct. 14, at 5 p.m. before traveling to Wichita, Kan., for a 3 p.m. contest at Newman Saturday, Oct. 16.