Grizzlies will play for 3rd place at national volleyball tournament 

The dream of a national championship will have to wait another year for the Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team. 

The Grizzlies (29-6) fell to the defending national champions, Iowa Western Community College (IWCC) Reivers, from Council Bluffs 3-1 in Friday's semifinals of the NJCAA Division I Women's National Volleyball Championship Tournament at Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kansas. The scores were 25-22, 18-25, 28-30, 21-25. 

"This loss hurts, and I hate it for our team," Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said. "The things we have done to put ourselves in this game have been great. Unfortunately, we didn't give enough confidence to each other when things got hard." 

Strong start ultimately falls short

The Grizzlies started strong against the Reivers in the first set, going on a 5-point run early to put some separation between the teams. Although the Reivers made a run of their own toward the end of the set, the Grizzlies were able to hold off the charge. 

In set two, the Grizzlies fell behind early and couldn't catch up as they struggled to find their footing. 

Set three turned into a back-and-forth battle, with neither team going up by more than a couple of points until the end when IWCC was able to get the 2 points they needed to put the frame away. 

The Grizzlies started set four strong, scoring the first three points, but the Reivers charged back to set up another seesaw battle. Tied at 21-21, the Grizzlies faltered and IWCC scored the last four points of the set to take the game.

It all comes down to presence 

"We knew Iowa Western would come at us, and in the first set, we were aggressive, took control of the set and didn't let up. But we didn't maintain," Wiedemann said. 

"What's frustrating is statistically, we didn't play a bad game, but our presence on the floor didn't match what they were bringing, and that's really the difference," she added. "Our actions have to meet our goals. That's how we got here, but unfortunately, that's where we struggled to put things together. Even when we were doing good things, we never felt like we were in control. 

"It's hard and disappointing to feel that way when the game is over. You want a re-do, but that's not happening. You have to do what's needed when it's needed," the coach said. 

Three Grizzlies recorded double figures in kills. Freshman outside attacker Alana Moesch led the way with 16, followed by freshman outside attacker Ilana Assis with 15 and sophomore middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe with 14. 

Freshman setter Doga Kutlu recorded 46 assists and 21 digs, just two shy of the team's leader in that category, sophomore libero Lauren Weber, who had 23. 

Moesch also led the team in service aces with three, while Kutlu added two.

Battle of the Grizzlies  

The fifth-seeded Grizzlies will face second seed Butler Community College (37-3), El Dorado, Kansas, in the third-place contest at 4:30 p.m. today. 

Butler fell to sixth seeded New Mexico Military Institute (33-4) of Roswell 3-1 in the other semifinal contest. 

This will be the second battle of the Grizzlies this season. MSU-WP fell to Butler 3-0 in September at the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragon Invitational. MSU-WP will look to avenge that loss with a third-place finish Saturday at nationals. 

"We have an opportunity to play another game, and we need to be ready for the fight," Wiedemann said. "Butler has had a great year. They play hard. We have to regroup and refocus on what is going to make the difference in how we play the game. 

"We have something big in front of us, and I want us to take advantage of that opportunity," she added. "Last game of the season is coming up. Let's make the absolute best of it!" 

For more information about the tournament, including the complete tournament bracket, schedule of games and NJCAA Network streaming information, visit NJCAA.org/Championships/Sports/WVBall/Div1/index. 

For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball program, visit MSUWPGrizzlies.com.