Grizzly Volleyball finishes 4-1 in Region 16 regular season action
The Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team finished Region 16 regular season play with 4-1 record after defeating Mineral Area College (MAC) 3-2 Wednesday evening, Oct. 18, in Park Hills.
The Grizzlies, 15-13 overall, will be seeded first in the Region 16 tournament Oct. 27-28 at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, and will play the winner of the semifinal game between Jefferson and MAC. More details about Wednesday's five-set thriller and the upcoming region tournament will be provided later.
MAC Tournament
Prior to Wednesday's game, the Grizzlies participated in the MAC Tournament Friday and Saturday, Oct. 13-14, in Park Hills. They opened the event with a 3-1 win over Hutchinson Community College Friday, but fell to 16th ranked Indian Hills Community College 3-2 on Saturday.
"We added the MAC tournament to our schedule not too long ago after receiving the invitation from Coach Tim Copland," Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paty Figueiredo said. "A spot opened up after a team dropped out. We liked the idea of facing strong teams as we get closer to the postseason. It is our goal to get stronger and more confident as we face teams such at Indian Hills and Hutchinson."
The Grizzlies were focused and showed good intensity against Hutchinson, whom they defeated 25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 25-23, Figueiredo said.
"We did a great job with our serving and were able to make some changes to our lineup and keep up the level of our game," she explained. "In the third set, our defense did not respond well, and we were unable to convert our digs into points. We came back more focused in the fourth set and managed to open a good lead, which gave us more confidence and less pressure to finish the set.
"Hutch is a team with a lot of power offensively, and a team that competes and does not give up. We look forward to facing them again this weekend," Figueiredo added.
An emotional game vs. the Warriors
Saturday's game against the nationally ranked Warriors was intense and took a lot of mental fortitude from the Grizzlies. Featuring international players on both teams, Figueiredo said they knew it would be a great fight, and it was, going a full five sets before Indian Hills prevailed. The score was 25-16, 18-25, 25-22, 23-25, 14-16. Countries represented on the teams included Brazil, Poland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany, Paraguay and Serbia.
"Indian Hills plays the game with a lot of pressure coming from the pin hitters. We started very well in the first set, setting the tempo of the game by not making a lot of mistakes and sticking with our game plan," Figueiredo said.
"In the second set, Indian Hills started with a different rotation and was more aggressive offensively, taking risks and challenging our defense. In the third set, we made some changes and were able to stop them offensively. We were more efficient offensively and with our defensive system," the coach said.
The Grizzlies faltered in their play in the fourth set and weren't aggressive enough when they had chances to score, Figueiredo said. "Both teams made mistakes, but Indian Hills made fewer unforced errors and came out with the win."
With the teams knotted at two sets each, the intensity ramped up in the fifth set. Indian Hills took the early lead with aggressive play, but the Grizzlies improved their side out play and caught up before the teams switched sides midway through the set, Figueiredo said.
"It became a game of who was willing to take more risks offensively and make fewer errors, and unfortunately we lost that game," she added.
"We certainly improved a lot playing two games that required a lot from us mentally, and we did an excellent job at staying intense and aggressive throughout the matches," Figueiredo said. "Our spirit and motivation are huge, and we are ready for our next opponents. We are ready to compete and leave everything on the court!"
Statistically, freshman outside hitter Gibby Beckler led the Grizzlies at the net offensively during the tournament with 24 kills. Freshman outside hitter Rosa Brencic wasn't far behind with 21.
Freshman middle blocker Maja Bochenek was most effective at the net offensively, hitting .293, and she led the team in blocks with seven, including three solo blocks.
Freshman setter Caroline Glatkowski led the team in assists with 71 and in digs with 40.
Next up
The Grizzlies are scheduled to participate in the Dennis South Memorial Classic at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs today through Saturday, Oct. 19-21. The Grizzlies will open against the host team at 6 p.m. today. They will play Monroe College at 2 p.m. Friday and face Hutchinson at 9 a.m. Saturday.
For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball team, visit its website at MSUWPGrizzlies.com.