Grizzlies go 2-2 in first tournament of the season

Grizzlies go 2-2 in first tournament of the season

ODESSA, Texas – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team opened up their season this past weekend at the New Mexico Military Institute Invitational in Odessa, Texas, and posted a 2-2 record while playing three ranked teams.

During the two-day tournament, the No. 19 Grizzlies faced several teams who also were ranked in the National Junior College Athletic Association's preseason poll. On Friday, the Grizzlies fell to host team, No. 5 Odessa College from Odessa, Texas, 22-25, 17-25, 19-25 and No. 6 Snow College from Ephraim, Utah, 13-25, 20-25, 23-25. Saturday the Grizzlies rebounded with a couple of wins against Vernon College from Wichita Falls, Texas, 25-18, 25-23, 25-21 and No. 16 New Mexico Military Institute from Roswell, New Mexico, 25-21, 12-25, 26-24, 23-25, 18-16.

A learning opportunity

"We had some very good moments that we can definitely build upon," Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said. "We talk about how, early in the season, there are so many lessons to be taken from each game, but we have to be able to take those lessons and do something with them. Everything we need do to at the beginning of the season is part of a building phase. We will have opportunities to learn and grow. We have to understand how important those opportunities are."

Fortunately, this year's team is open to the work needed to apply the lessons they learn, Wiedemann said. "We have a group that's willing to be pushed. In the beginning, their development will be in the things we pull out of them, but when they take ownership of that development, that's when we'll see changes in the way we play. We started finding that flow on Saturday, in our game with New Mexico Military Institute, and it felt good," she explained.

Several positives came from the Grizzlies' efforts in the tournament. "Our passing and hitting efficiency continued to improve through the weekend," Wiedemann said. "Our passing is just going to get better, and our ability to become consistent in what we do offensively will make us hard to defend. This group has the ability to be a really good defensive team and as our blocking schemes get better, we will be able to turn defense into offense."

Statistical leaders

Leading the way offensively was freshman outside hitter Imani Nicholson, with 41 kills for the tournament and an attacking percentage of .337. Overall, she earned a team leading 47 points.

"Imani really played well on Saturday and when she gets in a flow and moves well, she can be hard to stop. It's not just about getting kills, it's about the ability to keep taking great swings and letting the swing take care of itself," Wiedemann said. "She will be a force offensively for us time and again if she doesn't let frustration get to her. She has improved in her ability to move without the ball, and she can continue to get better both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball."

Wiedemann was pleased with the balanced attack from the team. "As everyone becomes more comfortable in our offensive system, we will get more out of our offense," she said. Freshmen middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe had a strong performance with 30 kills, a .452 hitting percentage and was second in earning 40 points. "For Manuela to produce as well as she did right out of the gate is a big positive. She has only been in practice with the team for a few days and will only continue to grow as a player." Wiedemann said.

"We also got better on the defensive side of the ball on Saturday. Our blocking was a key and will only improve with practice. And when our blocking improves, it will make our backcourt defense even stronger," Wiedemann said. Bibinbe led the team in blocking with 16, followed by sophomore middle blocker Nayla Watkins with 10. Nicholson led the team in digs with 55, followed by freshman outside hitter Lauren Weber with 42 and freshman libero Macey Griffin with 36.

Wiedemann also praised the play of sophomore setter Julieta Campana and freshman setter Ashton Wildermuth, who recorded 60 and 58 assists, respectively. "Juli and Ashton are making sure everyone is involved in the offense and giving our attackers something to take a good swing at offensively," the coach said. Wildermuth led the Grizzlies in service aces with 4.

"The discipline it takes to give what needs to be given, in order to become the best team you can possibly be, is a big key to this team. The more unselfish they become, the better we will be. That feeling is something you can grow in and celebrate as a group. This group wants to see how far they can take this in a season that we will not take for granted," Wiedemann said.

The Grizzlies will play next when they host the Grizzly Invitational tournament Friday, Feb. 5 and Saturday, Feb. 6, at the West Plains Civic Center. Joining the Grizzlies on the court will be Iowa Western Community College from Council Bluffs, Iowa; Hutchinson Community College from Hutchinson, Kansas; Trinity Valley from Athens, Texas; and New Mexico Military Institute.

On Friday, the Grizzlies will play Iowa Western at 12:30 p.m. and Hutchinson at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, they will face Trinity Valley at 12:30 p.m. and New Mexico Military Institute at 5:30 p.m.

Wiedemann pointed out the Grizzlies will have almost two weeks to work on things in practice and is excited about that fact. "It can be hard to not play for a while, but this group learned a lot this past weekend and are looking forward to working on things that will make us better. Again, we're not going to complain about getting the chance to play a season, regardless of what it looks like," she said.

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