Grizzlies reach semifinals of NJCAA national volleyball tournament

The Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team advanced to the semifinals of the NJCAA Division I Women's National Volleyball Championship Tournament Thursday after winning its first round and quarterfinal games.

The fifth seeded Grizzlies (29-5) defeated the 12th seeded Central Wyoming College Rustlers (24-8), Riverton, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20 in the first round Thursday afternoon, then rallied from a 7-point deficit in the third set of their quarterfinal contest against Florida SouthWestern State College (23-5), Ft. Myers, Thursday evening to take a 25-19, 25-18, 25-23 decision.

"I'm so proud of this group. The work these guys continue to do, what they keep putting together, it's really wonderful to see," Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said.

The Grizzlies showed a few nerves against the Rustlers, Wiedemann said. "We didn't take care of the ball very well, and it felt like we kept forcing things," she explained.

But when they took the court against the Buccaneers, "we just owned it. Our presence on the floor, the patience we showed playing through points, when we started putting things together and taking care of the ball better, we put the pressure on them."

The Grizzlies played methodical against the Buccaneers in the first two sets, slowly building their leads in each one. But the Buccaneers, whom the Grizzlies played at the beginning of the season, showed why they were one of the top teams in the nation this season, bouncing back to build a 7-point lead over the Grizzlies early in the third set.

The Grizzlies didn't panic, however. They stayed calm, corrected their miscues and slowly battled back.

"I'm really proud of them because we've had games when we would let go during a set, but we regrouped in this set. It didn't happen all at once. We chipped away, earning a point here, a couple more there. Teams that can do that are the ones that can create separation," Wiedemann said. "It's okay if they're with us, but if we can separate, that puts so much extra pressure on them."

The things that matter most

The coach credits the Grizzlies' serving and passing for making the difference. "Those two things matter all the time. We were aggressive, but we weren't trying to force things, and when we do that, we put pressure on the other team," Wiedemann explained.

The Grizzlies also showed great consistency offensively in both games. Against the Rustlers, the Grizzlies hit over .300 in each set and recorded 13, 14 and 15 kills, respectively. Against the Buccaneers, the Grizzlies weren't quite as efficient, hitting .250 or above in only two of the three sets, but they recorded 14, 14 and 15 kills, respectively.

Individual statistical leaders against Central Wyoming were freshman outside hitter Alana Moesch with 12 kills, sophomore middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe with a .467 attacking percentage, freshman setter Doga Kutlu with 35 assists and three service aces, sophomore Lauren Weber with 16 digs, and sophomore middle blocker Angelina Hardison with three blocks.

Against Florida SouthWestern, freshman outside attacker Ilana Assis led the team in kills with 12, sophomore right side attacker Cecilia Westfall led the team in attacking percentage with .385, Kutlu led in assists with 36, and Weber led the team in digs with 21. Westfall and Bibinbe led the team in blocks with five each.

Familiar foe up next

The Grizzlies will face district nemesis and defending national champion Iowa Western Community College (31-4), Council Bluffs, at 6:30 p.m. today in the semifinals of the three-day tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.

The Reivers, seeded eighth at nationals after losing to the Grizzlies' Region 16 foe, Jefferson College, in the Midwest A District Tournament, upset No. 1 seed Blinn College, Brenham, Texas, 32-30, 25-19, 25-17 in its quarterfinal contest.

Iowa Western defeated ninth seeded Polk State College, Winter Haven, Floriday, 25-14, 25-20, 25-22 in its first-round game Thursday.

This won't be the first time the Grizzlies and Reivers have met this season. The Grizzlies dropped a five-set thriller to the Reivers in the Missouri/Iowa Challenge Tournament, but they picked up a 3-1 win over Iowa Western at the Jefferson College Halloween Classic just a couple of weeks later.

"Iowa Western played really well against Blinn. They're taking advantage of their second opportunity to play in the tournament with an at-large bid. We're going to have to control the things we do on our side of the court, and our presence on the floor has to be a constant. We need to stay aggressive, but not force things," Wiedemann said.

"Iowa Western has been one of the best teams year in and year out," she added. "If we both put good things together, it's going to be a dog fight. It's not like we don't know each other. I have a lot of respect for their program, and you have to be ready to play teams who are playing their best. We want to keep making our next game our favorite game!

"We've been pretty good at frustrating teams, especially when we control the serve and passing game and stay patient in playing through points," Wiedemann continued. "We work a lot on being good out of system, and it helps when you feel like you don't have to play perfect. Everyone does their job, and we make things better with each contact. To make things happen, the work has to be done. It doesn't ever go away," she said.

The winner of today's contest will play for the national championship at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The loser will compete for third place at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The lowest the Grizzlies can place at nationals is fourth.

It's not too late to watch the Grizzlies in action on the NJCAA Network. Day passes are $10, or fans can pay $25 to watch all the action for the next two days.

For more information about the tournament, including the complete tournament bracket, schedule of games and NJCAA Network streaming information, visit the championship website.

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