Grizzly Volleyball goes 2-1 at Grizzly Invitational

The Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team posted a 2-1 record at the Grizzly Invitational Tournament this past weekend at the West Plains Civic Center.

After falling to No. 9 Trinity Valley Community College, Athens, Texas, 0-3 on Friday, Oct. 6, the Grizzlies bounced back to defeat Panola College, Carthage, Texas, 3-1 and Tyler Junior College, Tyler, Texas, 3-0 on Saturday, Oct. 7. All three teams are from Region 14.

"It was two days of great games, great competition and lots of interaction with the community," Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach said of the event. "I don't know how to describe it without getting emotional. Receiving all the support from our community, local businesses, students, coaches, kids, volunteers, sponsors, boosters and school staff, it was an incredible and unforgettable experience running the tournament for the first time as head coach.

"When recruiting athletes, I always talk about this energy and how the community welcomes us and makes us feel a part of them. Our players lived that and felt it themselves this weekend," she added. "It was inexplicable. The love the community has for our volleyball and athletics programs touched all of them."

Despite the excitement of hosting a home tournament, the Grizzlies started the event slow Friday against the Trinity Valley Cardinals, falling 21-25, 19-25, 17-25. "We were not able to impose ourselves in the game," Figueiredo explained.

The Grizzlies turned things around on Saturday, defeating the Panola Fillies 25-23, 25-27, 26-24, 25-17 in a hard-fought match, and downing the Tyler Apaches 25-22, 25-20, 25-21 in another competitive game. "We had presence and set the tone of our games," Figueiredo explained. "We were more consistent and more efficient in our actions.

"In the last game against Tyler, we showed that we were more confident and focused," she added. "We were ahead in all three sets for the most part and were more effective in our defensive and offensive system. We were more consistent with our serve receive, as well, which allowed us to use our middle blockers Maja Bochenek and Kaitlyn Aleshire with more frequency. That in turn left our pin hitters with less pressure to put the ball down.

"And with our serve being more efficient and aligning with our strategy, we were able to force their libero to struggle on the reception, making their game more predictable and facilitating our transition," the coach said.

Offensively, outside/right side hitter Rosa Brencic recorded a team leading 38 kills for the tournament. She was followed by Bochenek, who had 35 kills and a team leading hitting percentage of .324. Setter Caroline Glatkowski led the team in assists with 106, and right side attacker Lauryn Farish led the team in serve receive with 3.00.

Defensively, Aleshire led the Grizzlies at the net with 10 blocks, and Portes recorded a team leading nine aces and 43 digs for the event.

Brencic and Bochenek both received all-tournament honors for their efforts on the court.

"We grew and got better during the tournament," Figueiredo said. "We developed in the areas we knew we needed to concentrate on, such as serving and passing and being able to use our middles more efficiently. Watching other teams play in our gym also helped us develop our understanding of the game.

"For us, though, the key point was how the tournament was embraced by the community and all the support given to us," she added. "We are grateful for each person who supports the success of the volleyball program."

The Grizzlies entertained a special guest at the tournament, the program's first ever head coach Trish Knight, who helped the team celebrate its 30th anniversary. Following the games, Knight met with the team in the locker room and gave the players her feedback and encouragement.

"Having the coach who started the program encouraging and sharing her knowledge and pride with our current athletes, they were incredibly grateful for that, and it had a positive impact on them," Figueiredo said.

"Thank you to everyone who has been involved in the Grizzly Athletics program for the past 30 years and for making the weekend a moment for us to be grateful for the people we have in our lives," the coach added. "Here is to 30 more years of Grizzly Athletics and volleyball!"

Loss to Jefferson

Before hosting the Grizzly Invitational, the Grizzlies traveled to Region 16 rival Jefferson College Oct. 4 and lost a five-set thriller to the Vikings 25-21, 19-25, 25-22, 22-25, 13-15.

"It was another tough game against Jefferson, this time on their home court," Figueiredo said. "We knew their roster was complete. Several players had returned from injuries and concussions and were ready to play. Both sides knew the strategies they wanted to use. Emotions played a big role in the outcome, and the team that kept its emotions consistent obtained success.

"Serving and keeping the middle blockers out of the offense was the main strategy by both teams," the coach added. "Jefferson did an excellent job keeping us out of system and setting up a solid block against our pin hitters."

With each team's serving strategy working, the transition game became key, as players on both sides had to be patient for the right opportunities to strike, Figueiredo explained. A lot of balls were touched defensively, forcing the players to reduce their unforced errors and pushing the match to a fifth set.

"We started behind in the fifth set and struggled with our side outs, but little by little we found ourselves in the set and turned the scoreboard around. Jefferson's fans did a good job putting pressure on us from the sidelines, and with fewer errors in the set, Jefferson ended up winning," the coach explained. "It was a very emotional game, as always, and Jefferson did better this time. We will continue to work hard to fight for regionals and move on to districts."

Next up

The Grizzlies' next game is set for Oct. 18 against Region 16 rival Mineral Area College in Park Hills. The team's last home game will be Oct. 25 against Missouri Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC) rival East Central College. The team's sophomores will be recognized before the game.

For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball team, visit its website at MSUWPGrizzlies.com.