MARYVILLE, Missouri - The No. 10-ranked Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat women's volleyball team snapped a two-match losing streak with a 3-0 victory over the visiting Newman Jets on Saturday at Bearcat Arena.
Northwest won by set scores of 25-14, 25-21, 25-17. Northwest moves to 13-3 overall and 5-2 in the MIAA, while Newman drops to 0-18 overall and 0-9 in the league ledger.
Junior Hallie Sidney got the Bearcats going in the first set with seven kills. Northwest turned a 10-9 lead into a 22-11 advantage. The Bearcats hit .410 in the opening set with 18 kills and two errors. Newman hit .056 with seven kills and five errors. The Bearcats produced an 80-percent side out effort in the first set.
The Bearcats built a 13-5 lead and held off a surge from the Jets that had Northwest clinging to a 21-17 lead. The Bearcats were able to right the ship and posted a 25-21 second-set win. Junior Morgan Lewis led the Bearcats with five kills, while Sidney registered 11 of her 14 digs in the second stanza. Northwest hit .160 but was able to side out at 57 percent to stem the tide.
The third set featured a 10-10 tie 20 points in before Northwest used a decisive 10-3 run to take a 20-13 lead. Lewis was key again in the set with six kills and one error in 10 swings. Sophomore Hannah Koechl notched eight of her team-high 20 digs in the final set. Northwest sided out at 61 percent in the third.
The Bearcats will be back in action at home Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Central Missouri.
NOTES: Maddy Ahrens secured a match-high 36 assists ... Sidney procured her ninth double-double (and fourth straight) with 14 kills and 14 digs ... sophomore Rachel Sturdevant narrowly missed a double-double of her own with eight kills and 13 digs ... Lewis tallied 13 kills (.367) ... freshman Emmy Grant notched a team-best three blocks.
--- Northwest Athletics ---