Grizzlies take 3rd place at NJCAA national tournament

The Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team will add some new hardware to the trophy case.

The Grizzlies (30-6) downed the Butler College Grizzlies (37-4) from El Dorado, Kansas, 3-1 in the third-place game this evening at the NJCAA Division I Women's National Volleyball Championship Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. The scores were 19-25, 27-25, 25-12, 25-18. 

"I am so happy for this group of players to finish with a win!," Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said. "As much as yesterday's loss hurt, today's win helped take the sting out of it.

"Butler is a really good, disciplined team, and we knew we would have to play together to get the job done," she added. "I told them before the game that there are only two teams who are glad they aren't in this game, but there are a hundred who want to be right where you are. Don't take that for granted and remember what got you here."

How the game played out

The fifth-seeded Grizzlies seemed to forget that early in the contest. Instead, the struggles they had in the semifinals Friday evening carried into the first set of today's match. After going up 3-0, they struggled to maintain their lead, and found themselves trailing by 6 points midway through the set. Although they put together a small run, Butler's defense and strong attack at the net held the Grizzlies at bay. 

The teams battled tooth and nail in the second set, never allowing their opponents more than a 2-point lead at any given time, but back-to-back kills by freshman outside attacker Ilana Assis gave the Grizzlies a 26-25 advantage, and freshman setter Doga Kutlu put the set away on dink at the net.

That seemed to give MSU-WP the spark it needed to take control of the game. After reaching a 7-7 tie in the third set, the Grizzlies rattled off 4 points to create some separation and never looked back.

They quickly took control of the fourth set and led by as many as 11 points twice, 19-8 and 22-11, before Butler tried to mount a serious charge toward the end. But the closest the second-seeded team could come was within 6 points, 23-17, before MSU-WP put the game away. 

"The work they have put into this season is something special," Wiedemann said of her players. "We have a group that came in week in and week out and wanted to get better and did something about it. They can be proud of that and the season they put together. It came from hard work, believing and trusting in each other, and giving what was needed when it was needed. There's a lot of love and a lot of fun that goes with it!"

Statistical leaders

Assis and Kutlu both had double-double performances for the night. Assis led the team in kills with 20 and added 13 digs to her stat line. She also led the hitters in attacking percentage with .341 Kutlu dished out a team-leading 47 assists and added 10 digs to her tally sheet. Freshman outside attacker Alana Moesch added 11 kills to the box score.

Defensively, sophomore middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe led the team in blocks with six, and sophomore libero Lauren Weber set the pace in digs with 18. Weber and Moesch each recorded three service aces.

Special accolades for 2

Assis and Kutlu were named to the all-tournament team following the championship match.

"I am really happy Doga and Ilana were recognized for their performances in the national tournament," Wiedemann said. "Doga has been running our offense at a high level all year and gets every hitter involved. She spreads the offense from pin to pin and it makes us hard to match up against. She had 164 total assists, averaging 11.71 assists per set.

"Ilana has been a go-to attacker, and she had a solid tournament with 52 total kills, averaging 3.71 kills per set," the coach added. "She pounds the heck out of the ball and took a lot of big swings over the last three days. She led us in kills and total points during the tournament."

Although Kutlu and Assis received individual recognition, Wiedemann was quick to point out it took a total team effort to accomplish this year's successes. 

"This was a team effort from start to finish, and Sus (Assistant Coach Susannah Kelley) and I couldn't be prouder of them," Wiedemann said.

"Sus has been a work horse and a huge part of their development," Wiedemann added. "When you have players who are willing to put the time in the gym, she will show up every time. Showing up for each other is easier when you have that example in front of you every day."

A history of success

This was MSU-WP's 17^th appearance at the national tournament, and second in one year. The 2020 national tournament was held in April at the West Plains Civic Center due to the pandemic.

It's also the third MSU-WP has placed third at the event. The Grizzlies also placed third in 2005 and 2006. They highest they have placed at nationals is second, which they did three times – in 2002, 2003 and 2009.

Wiedemann said they are grateful for the support and love shown to them by the Grizzly fans this season and every season.

"We are so thankful for the support we receive from the university, the community and our fans! We feel the love you have for us and can't wait to get back to West Plains!," she said.

For more information about the tournament, including complete results, visit NJCAA.org/Championships/Sports/WVBall/Div1/index.

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