NOTEBOOK (PDF)
The Missouri Valley Conference finished its third weekend of non-conference action with a 14-18 record. This week will be the final week of the non-league schedule before league play begins on Friday, September 22.
Road Warriors
With a victory at Pepperdine on Saturday, Missouri State improved to 4-0 in true road matches this season, extending their win streak in away matches to 13 in a row after going 9-0 on the Valley road last year. MSU’s last loss in an opposing gym was Sept 17, 2016 at Marquette, and with no road matches until Sept. 22, the Bears are guaranteed to go more than a calendar year without suffering a road defeat.
Panthers Dig In
UNI tied a school record (four-set matches) with 107 team digs in a 3-1 victory over South Dakota at the Kangaroo Klassic. The 107 digs by the Panthers is the second most by an NCAA Division I school this season in four-set matches (Ohio State with 109). UNI previously tallied 107 digs at Creighton (Oct. 27, 2000).
Against the Field
The MVC holds a winning record against 12 leagues in non-conference play (America East, American Athletic, A-10, Big Sky, Conference USA, Ivy League, MEAC, Northeast, Southern, Summit, SWAC and West Coast), and at least a .500 record against another two (Metro Atlantic and Mountain West) through three weeks of the season.
Can’t Hang
The MVC holds an unblemished record in non-conference action against 10 other leagues, including America East (1-0), American Athletic (2-0), Atlantic 10 (3-0), Big Sky (1-0), Ivy League (2-0), MEAC (2-0), Northeast (2-0), Southern (1-0), SWAC (1-0) and West Coast (1-0).
Top-25 Victories
The Valley has three wins over Top 25 teams this season and currently holds a 3-6 record against teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 at the time of the match.
This week, UNI will face #19 Iowa State Tuesday and #10 Nebraska on Saturday. Southern Illinois will battle #23 Michigan State Saturday, while Loyola will travel to #15 Purdue Sunday.
UNI already has claimed two Top 25 wins this season heading into this week’s matches vs. Iowa State and Nebraska. The last time UNI recorded three wins in the same season over ranked foes came in 2003 (#11 Notre Dame, #23 Missouri State, #20 UC Santa Barbara).
MVC Wins Over Top 25 Teams
Aug. 25: UNI beat #19 Missouri, 3-2
Sept. 1: UNI beat #18 USC, 3-1
Sept. 1: Missouri State beat #20 Ohio State, 3-1
AVCA Top-25
Missouri State and UNI continue to receive votes in this week’s (Sept. 11) AVCA Top 25 poll. The Bears sit No. 32 nationally with 16 votes, while the Panthers slip to No. 36 with four total votes.
Against 2016 NCAA Field
The Valley won four more matches against 2016 NCAA Tournament participants during the third weekend of play (Illinois State beat Cincinnati & Dayton, UNI beat Northern Illinois and Bradley swept Murray State). This season’s non-conference schedule features 28 teams that appeared in the NCAA field a year ago. The MVC sits 8-16 against the 2016 NCAA field this fall with the final seven matches taking place this weekend.
MVC Career Kills Watch
Missouri State senior Lily Johnson sits in third place on the all-time MVC career kills list. Johnson pounded out 49 kills in matches vs. Washington, Wyoming and Pepperdine over the weekend. Johnson is 50 kills away from passing Missouri State’s Michelle Witzke (1994-97) and 79 kills away from breaking the MVC record held by Bradley’s Lindsay Stalzer (2002-05)
Career Kills
1. 1,948 - Lindsay Stalzer, Bradley 2002-05
2. 1,919 - Michelle Witzke, Missouri State 1994-97
3. 1,870 - Lily Johnson, Missouri State 2014-pres.
4. 1,779 - Molly O’Brien, UNI 2000-03
5. 1,773 - Chris Rehor, Illinois State 1985-88
This week's Missouri Valley Conference Players of the Week are Missouri State's Lily Johnson and Emily Butters and Illinois State's Stef Jankiewicz.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Lily Johnson, Sr., OH, Missouri State
Missouri State’s Lily Johnson averaged 4.45 kills, 4.45 digs and 5.23 points per set to earn all-tournament honors at the Pepperdine Asics Classic over the weekend. Johnson began the tournament with 15 kills, 18 digs and four aces in four sets against eighth-ranked Washington Friday, and added 14 digs, three aces and eight kills in a sweep of Wyoming that same day. On Saturday, the senior carried the Bears to a 3-1 win at Pepperdine, hitting .383 with 26 kills and 17 digs against the Waves. This is Johnson’s 10th career MVC Player of the Week honor, tying her for first all time with UNI’s Molly O’Brien (2000-03).
Other Notable Performances: Erica Haslag (BRAD); Cathryn Cheek (DU); Jaelyn Keene (ILS); Morgan Gresham (LUC); Bri Weber (UNI); Brittany Anderson (VALPO)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Emily Butters, Jr., Libero, Missouri State
Missouri State junior Emily Butters had 70 total digs in three matches last week, averaging 6.36 per set to go with three aces and 13 assists at the Pepperdine Asics Classic. Butters scooped a season-high 27 digs and handed out seven helpers against No. 8 Washington on Friday, and added 16 more digs, four assists and an ace to help the Bears sweep Wyoming in the evening contest. On Saturday, Butters equaled her season best with 27 more digs at Pepperdine, adding a pair of aces in a 3-1 Missouri State win.
Other Notable Performances: Yavianliz Rosado (BRAD); Kylee Macke (UD); Courtney Pence (ILS); Maddy Moser (LUC); Kendyl Sorge (UNI): Andrea Estrada (SIU); Sydney Bronner (VALPO)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK:
Stef Jankiewicz, Fr., S, Illinois State
Illinois State’s Stef Jankiewicz had strong outings in the first matches of her career at Redbird Arena, as the freshman setter averaged 11.46 assists per set while guiding Illinois State to a 2-1 record and a second-place tournament finish. Jankiewicz also averaged 2.54 digs per set and added three aces and a pair of kills. She posted a pair of double-doubles in Saturday’s matches, tallying 56 assists and 10 digs against Seton Hall before going for 57 assists and a career-high 19 digs in a win over Cincinnati. Jankiewicz currently ranks third in the MVC by averaging 10.26 assists per set.
Other Notable Performances: Kylee Macke (DU); Allana McInnis (UE); Elle Van Grinsven (LUC); Jaydlin Seehase (UNI); Maggie Nedoma (SIU); Brittany Anderson (VALPO)