WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team will play for ninth place Saturday at NJCAA Division I National Volleyball Championship.
The 13th-seeded Grizzlies (19-6) took advantage of their second chance in the three-day event to win both of their games today and advance to the final day of action. They defeated Wallace State Community College (31-2) from Hanceville, Alabama, 3-2 in their first game, then swept ninth-seeded Western Nebraska Community College (27-7) of Scotts Bluff 3-0.
The Grizzlies will face 10th-seeded Northeastern Junior College (22-9) from Sterling, Colorado, at 9 a.m. Saturday at the West Plains Civic Center in the ninth-place contest.
“After yesterday’s loss, I told the team there is still a lot in front of us and we are lucky to get to play another game,” Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said. “Getting a chance to feel better about how we play as a team and how it feels walking off the court is a big deal. Everyone wants to win their last game of the season, and I’m grateful we get that chance.”
Just as they had in their first-round game Thursday, the Grizzlies struggled against the Wallace State Lions and dropped the first two sets 24-26 and 16-25. But a renewed energy on defense and a desire not to go two games and out in the national tournament on their home court propelled the Grizzlies to take control of the contest and win the next three sets 25-23, 25-13, 15-5.
“In the first two sets against Wallace State, we were still not in a good flow as a team,” Wiedemann said. “We weren’t making the right moves on defense to keep the ball off the floor to help keep us in points. It’s the national tournament, and defense matters in order to keep playing. I told them putting the work into how we move and communicate on the court is important, and it’s worth it every time.
“Things started clicking in the third set, and we started putting pressure on them with our defense,” she added. “Things started shifting quickly, and we were feeling like our old selves again. You could see us responding to each other, talking more, moving more, and when that happens, we are a team that will fight for every point.
“From the third set on, we looked like a different team. We took off, and Wallace started to force things, which led to a lot more errors. It felt great to see us put things together that way! I knew it was something we could build on going into our next game against a good Western Nebraska team,” Wiedemann said.
Three Grizzlies recorded double digits in kills. Freshman outside attacker Imani Nicholson led the way with 20, sophomore outside attacker Maju Loureiro added 15 and freshman middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe scored 12. Nicholson also led the team in points earned with 20.
Freshman setter Ashton Wildermuth led the Grizzlies in assists with 32, freshman libero Lauren Weber recorded a team-leading 25 digs, and sophomore middle blocker Nayla Watkins led the team in blocks with six and attacking percentage with .500.
“We were getting production from everyone, both offensively and defensively,” Wiedemann said. “Our fourth and fifth sets were lights out good. We had 27 kills and only three hitting errors in those last two sets.
“Imani led us in kills, and since she is an Alabama girl, I knew she wanted to play well against an Alabama school,” the coach continued. “Maju continues to be so good and consistent, game in and game out. Ashton and Juli (Campana) have been keeping everyone involved in our offense, and it makes us better.
“Nayla and Angie (Hardison) have been solid offensively and led us defensively at the net. When our blocking is solid, our defense keeps the ball off the floor. Lauren has picked up shots all over the place and has been making great reads on defense,” Wiedemann said.
The win set up the Grizzlies’ second game of the day against the Western Nebraska Cougars. In the first two sets, the Grizzlies jumped out to early leads. The Cougars battled back to take a brief lead midway through the first set, but the Grizzlies prevailed 27-25. In the second set, the Grizzlies maintained a substantial lead to take it 25-18. The teams battled back and forth early in the third set, but the Grizzlies took control of the set at 14-13 and never relinquished the lead again, winning 25-21.
“Like I said earlier, when we started playing like the team, we’ve been the last month and a half, we have a team that will fight through anything. It was great seeing them fight for that first set win, and once we did that, I knew we could keep putting pressure on them,” Wiedemann said.
“We became the team that wouldn’t go away, and that’s a fun team to watch,” she added. I’m proud of them for finding the joy in playing for each other, for the university and for our community. So many people support us in so many ways, and our opportunity to show them gratitude for those things is by how we play.”
Once again, Bibinbe, Loureiro and Nicholson led the Grizzly attack, recording double figures in kills. Loureiro led with 12, followed by Bibinbe and Nicholson each with 11. Bibinbe was the most efficient at the net, hitting .600. Wildermuth led the team in assists with 27, Weber paced the Grizzlies defensively with 30 digs, and Watkins led the team in blocks with four. Loureiro recorded 13 earned points.
“Getting into the top 10 and getting a chance to play on the third day at nationals is a big deal,” Wiedemann said. “I don’t ever want to take that for granted. It takes a lot to get to this point, and it will take our best effort to make things happen in the last game of our season. Doing all the things that make us a great team is always worth it. We get a chance to do it one more time! I’m very happy for that!”
Hall of fame recognition for Wiedemann
A week ago, NJCAA officials announced that Wiedemann was one of two people selected to the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2020-2021.
She will be recognized for this honor prior to the tournament’s championship game at approximately 7 p.m. Saturday at the civic center.
For more information about the NJCAA Division I National Volleyball Championship, visit njcaa.org.
For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball program, visit www.msuwpgrizzlies.com.
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