Weekly Schedule:
Wednesday, Oct. 5 – vs. #8 Central Missouri; 7:00 pm; KIRKSVILLE
Friday, Oct. 7 – at Northwest Missouri; 7:00 pm; Maryville, Mo.
Saturday, Oct. 8 – vs. Missouri Western; 7:00 pm; KIRKSVILLE
 
FULL NOTES (PDF)
 
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - The Truman volleyball squad hits the halfway point of the 2011 season this week, playing three MIAA matches in four days leading up to Homecoming on Saturday evening.
 
The Bulldogs (9-6) play host to No. 8 Central Missouri this Wednesday night in Pershing Arena before hitting the road to face Northwest Missouri in Maryville on Friday night. Truman will turn around and head back to Kirksville, meeting Missouri Western in Pershing on Homecoming Saturday night, with all three matches set for 7:00 pm start times.
 
Truman is coming off a successful 3-1 weekend at the Washburn Lady Blues Crossover, having picked up key regional wins against Tarleton (Texas) State, Central Oklahoma and Abilene Christian. Junior middle hitter Megan Sharpe was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 3.00 kills and 1.53 blocks per set, while hitting .339.
 
The team will be looking to square up its MIAA record after debuting with a 1-2 mark two weeks ago in the conference's first official week of the season. In its lone home match thus far in 2011, Truman entertained nearly 1,600 fans with a 3-2 thrilling win against then-No. 24 Emporia State.
 
Sharpe continues to be the top offensive weapon in head coach Ben Briney's arsenal, as the two-time all-American is hitting. 304 on 2.91 kills per set, with 1.16 blocks per set defensively. The 'Dogs are blocking 2.20 attacks per set and are hitting .193 as a unit on the season. Freshman outside hitter Allie Brak (2.52 k/s), senior outside hitter Molly Sinclair (2.20 k/s) and junior middle hitter Emily Briseno (2.02 k/s) are also among the team's top producers. Senior Kylie Easlon (5.52 assists/set) and freshman Meghan Zimmerman (4.33 a/s) continue to handle setting duties, while freshman libero Abby Moser (5.45 digs/set) continues to be one of the MIAA's best back row defenders.
 
Following the Bulldogs:
Full coverage of Truman volleyball is available online at TrumanBulldogs.com, including results, upcoming game information and weekly updates.
 
When available, links to free online live stats are added to the Bulldog volleyball schedule page as well as the top of each weekly update.
 
Keep up with the Bulldogs by tracking in-game updates (when available). Follow Truman Athletics on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TrumanAthletics. Also be sure to sign up for TextCaster updates on the Bulldog homepage.
 
Checking Out the Competition:
#8 Central Missouri (13-3, 4-0 MIAA)
The Bulldogs will be faced with one of its toughest challenges of the season on Wednesday night when they welcome 8^th-ranked UCM to Kirksville. The Jennies are hitting .328 as a team and having won eight straight matches – all by straight sets.
 
The two-headed combo of Paula Harris and Allie Huffman pace the Jens offensively, with Harris' 3.65 kills/set (.444 atk %) and Huffman's 3.83 kills/set (.354 atk %) ranking amongst the MIAA leaders. Julia Bates, an attacking threat 64 kills on the season, is the team's setter (11.23 assists/set), while Taylor Krejci has handled back row duties and is averaging 4.66 digs per frame.
 
Flip Piontek is in his third season at the helm in Warrensburg, having posted a 79-13 record. UCM holds a 54-30-3 all-time series lead, including two sweeps last season.
 
Northwest Missouri (7-9, 1-2 MIAA)
Truman then heads to NWMSU on Friday night to face a Bearcat squad that went 3-1 at the Pitt State Challenge last weekend. They will head to Missouri Western on Tuesday before hosting Truman on Friday.
 
Northwest is hitting .178 as a team on the season behind Brooke Bartosh's 2.96 kills/set and .216 attack mark. Three other players are averaging more than two kills per frame, but only one regular player is hitting better than .230. Laira Akin handles the setting (10.09 assists/set), while Tori Beckman is averaging a shade less than five digs per set with 285 total on the year.
 
Jessica Rinehart is in her second season at the helm in Maryville, having posted a 22-24 record. Truman holds a 55-25-1 lead in the all-time series, including a pair of sweeps last season.
 
Missouri Western (8-7, 1-2 MIAA)
The Bulldogs then wrap up the week with a Homecoming night showdown against MWSU, a squad coming off a 3-1 weekend in Denton, Texas. The Griffons host NWMSU on Tuesday before hitting the road to face UCM (Friday) and Truman this weekend.
 
Western is hitting .155 as a team on the season and is allowing foes to connect at a .220 rate. Tahler Johnston is the squad's top offensive threat at 3.69 kills/set but is hitting .176 overall. Alex Behnke is next at 2.70 kills/set and is the team's top hitting at .268. Stephanie Hattey has served as the team's main setter this year, averaging 9.65 assists/set, while a quartet of players are averaging more than 2.50 digs/set defensively.
 
Cory Frederick is in his third season at the helm in St. Joseph, having posted a 31-46 record. Truman holds a 42-20 lead in the all-time series, including a pair of wins last season.
 
Middle Blockers Living Up to Name:
Junior Megan Sharpe is up to 286 career blocks, moving into 10^th all-time in Truman history. In addition, she sits just five back of former Bulldog Lisa Weber in solo blocks, who put down 67 in her three years (2006-08) at Truman.
 
Fellow junior Emily Briseno is two back of Sharpe in the solo block category with 60.
 
Outsides Put Up Big Numbers at WU Classic:
Senior Molly Sinclair and freshman Allie Brak each had a big weekend, with each averaging more than 2.50 kills and 4.00 digs per set in the four matches. Brak put up new career-highs in digs with 21 against ACU and blocks with four against Tarleton in addition to three double-doubles.
 
Sinclair, meanwhile, also set a new career-best in digs with 22 against UCO and blocks with three against Tarleton to go with one double-double.
 
Moser on Record-Setting Pace:
Freshman libero Abby Moser is on pace for more than 700 digs this season, which would be the all-time single-season best by any Bulldog in program history. Through 15 matches, she's averaging 5.45 digs/set and more than 21 digs/match with nine matches of 20 or more digs. She is already ninth all-time in program history with 20+ dig matches and was the first freshman to have 30+ digs in a match when she put up 37 against Minnesota State on Sept. 9.
 
Earlier this season, she became the first player in Truman program history to receive the MIAA's weekly athlete of the week award three consecutive times. She also became the first Bulldog libero to win the award three times in one season and trails Rachel Shedd (2000-2003) by two for the most all-time in a single-season by any Bulldog.
 
Moser Sets Program Record:
In each of the first three weeks to start the 2011 season, freshman Abby Moser was named the MIAA Volleyball Specialist of the Week. No
 
She also became the first Bulldog libero to win the award three times in one season and trails Rachel Shedd by two for the most all-time in a single-season by any Bulldog. Shedd was named Specialist of the Week five times in 2003.
 
She is averaging 5.73 digs per set through the first 11 matches of 2011.
 
Will Dig for Points:
Led by the aforementioned Moser, Brak and Sinclair, Truman is the top MIAA team in digs through the first four weeks, averaging 18.64 per set. That's also good for a top-15 national ranking.
 
Continuing the Tradition:
The Bulldogs rank 15th in Div. II?history in all-time appearances in the top-25 (156) and are tied for ninth all-time for times ranked in the top-10 (97). Since the year 2000, the 'Dogs have posted eight 30+ win seasons, a postseason appearance each season, two trips to the national championship match and seven MIAA?championships.
 
Up Next:
With a previously-scheduled idle weekend on the MIAA slate, the Bulldogs will use the open dates to head to Russellville, Ark., for the Arkansas Tech Classic. Truman will face Lindenwood (Mo.) and Sioux Falls (S.D.) on Oct. 14 and Henderson (Ark.) State and host ATU on Oct. 15.