MSU-WP places 3rd at NJCAA national volleyball tournament

For the second consecutive year, the Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team placed third at the NJCAA Division I Women's National Volleyball Championship Tournament.

The three-day event took place Nov. 17-19 at the West Plains Civic Center, the Grizzlies' home court.

The Grizzlies (27-8), who were seeded fifth going into the tournament, defeated second seed Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, Iowa, in three straight sets, 25-23, 25-13, 25-13.

"I'm incredibly proud of our team and everything we accomplished this year," Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said. "The way we worked through a rough beginning, found out a lot about ourselves in the middle, and played our best volleyball at the end was amazing! This group kept working through the hard stuff and kept finding better things in front of them because of the work they continued to put in, day in and day out. When a team starts to believe how much the process matters to get to where you want to go, good things can happen."

Impressive wins at tourney

Despite a heart-breaking loss in the semifinals the night before, the Grizzlies didn't let the disappointment keep them from the task at hand in the third-place contest Nov. 19. They stayed focused as they battled the Warriors in the first set, then took control quickly in the second and third sets to finish out the contest.

The Grizzlies, who were ranked sixth in the NJCAA's final poll of the season, were just as impressive their first two games of the tournament. They defeated 12th seed Northeastern Junior College, Sterling, Colorado, in straight sets in the first round Nov. 17, then downed fourth seed Western Nebraska Community College, Scottsbluff, 3-0 in the quarterfinals later that same day.

Facing the No. 1 seed

In the Nov. 18 semifinals, the Grizzlies faced first seeded Florida Southwestern State College, Cypress Lake. The Buccaneers came into the tournament as the nation's No. 1 team with only one loss, and they quickly showed the Grizzlies why they were the tournament's top seed.

After a slow start in the first set, the Grizzlies battled back and made runs in the second and third sets, but the Buccaneers proved to be too much in the end, and the Grizzlies fell 16-25, 20-25, 24-26. The Buccaneers went on to win the championship, defeating Miami-Dade College 3-1.

"Our postseason play was pretty special considering how the year began," Wiedemann said. "We put together a 21-1 run during the last eight weeks of the season with a lot of great wins and one heartbreaking loss to No. 1 Florida Southwestern. I told the team there were only two teams that were happy they weren't in the third-place game at the national tournament, and everyone else would have been glad to take our spot.

"To finish the way we did against No. 2 Indian Hills was a statement about how much this season mattered to this team," she added. "We were the only repeat Final Four team at the national tournament, and our district was the only district with two teams in the top four both years. We have a lot to be thankful for! Our fans and the community are amazing! We are so grateful to get to play this game and represent what it means to be a Grizzly!"

Grizzly sophomores Doga Kutlu and Ilana Assis earned all-tournament team honors. 

For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball team, visit the team's website, MSUWPGrizzlies.com.