The Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team added another mark in the win column Tuesday evening, March 9.
The Grizzlies (12-4) defeated the St. Louis Community College (SLCC) Archers 25-22, 20-25, 25-14, 25-10 at the West Plains Civic Center in a Missouri Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC) contest.
“St. Louis is a scrappy team. They played hard and have some players who can make good things happen,” Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said.
“The first set was close. We were up the entire set, but we weren’t separating from them, and that gave them a lot of momentum,” she said.
That momentum carried the Archers into the second set where they took the measure of the Grizzlies.
“They were out-working us on defense and touching everything that came at them,” Wiedemann said. “We didn’t match their effort at all. We just watched, and that reaction killed us.”
Fortunes change
After a frank discussion about those issues during the set break, the Grizzlies came out in the third and fourth sets and took control of the game.
“Our players looked different, the energy felt different, and we just started playing the game,” Wiedemann explained. “We started putting in the same effort St. Louis was putting into the game. Once that happened, things really turned around.
“The kind of effort we put into our play shouldn’t be an issue at any time in a game,” she added. “We still have some things we need to figure out. It’s not just about skill level. It’s also about how a team grows throughout the season, how determined we are to play against teams that are constantly going to come at us. We’ve got to keep getting better at that.”
Sophomore leadership
The Grizzlies’ three sophomores led the way statistically. Outside attacker Maju Loureiro recorded a team-leading 10 kills, 2.07 pass rate and 12.5 points earned. Middle blocker Nayla Watkins led the team in attacking percentage with .545 and blocks with 3.5. And, setter Julieta Campaña led the team in assists with 22.
“I’m super excited we were able to honor our sophomores last night,” Wiedemann said. “They have come a long way in the time they have been here, and I’m thankful they continue to grow as players, students and people.
“They were part of our region championship team last season and understand the work that goes into making great things happen,” the coach added. “I’m really proud of them for what they’ve done and what they will continue to do.”
Freshman middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe also had 10 kills, freshman outside hitter Imani Nicholson recorded two service aces, and freshman libero Lauren Weber recorded 27 kills.
The Grizzlies’ next game will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 12, against Region 16 rival Jefferson College in Hillsboro.
For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball program, visit www.msuwpgrizzlies.com.
