Grizzly Volleyball prepares for Region 16 championship tournament
The Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team enters postseason play this weekend at the NJCAA Region 16 Championship Tournament in Hillsboro.
The Grizzlies, 4-1 in the Region 16 regular season play, are seeded first in the two-day tournament. They will face the winner of Friday's semifinal game between second seeded Jefferson College and third seeded Mineral Area College at noon Saturday, Oct. 28.
The Grizzlies, 16-16 overall, completed the 2023 regular season Wednesday, Oct. 25, by sweeping Missouri Community College Athletics Conference (MCCAC) rival East Central College 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-23) in Joe Paul Evans Arena at the West Plains Civic Center. The game also allowed the team to celebrate it's sophomores – Lauryn Farish, Springfield, and Raphaela Felisberto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
"Even though we defeated East Central in three sets, volleyball was not the highlight of the night. Our community deserves all the compliments for making it a perfect night! Seeing the community interacting, participating and supporting our volleyball team was very special for all of us," Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paty Figueiredo said.
"I just want to thank everyone who attended in person, who watched from home and sent us good energy even from afar," she added. "Our feeling is all gratitude for this fantastic community that embraces our athletic department with so much love."
The coach said the community support was very special for the freshman student-athletes. "They understood how wonderful the West Plains community is and how blessed we are to have all these people supporting Grizzly Athletics, including our volleyball program," she explained.
Following the game, the coaches and players took time to visit with those who attended, especially the children "who brought a lot of happiness and excitement to our match," she said. "We did our best to reach out and thank each person who was here, but I'm sure we missed a few. That is why I want to make it truly clear how special each person is to us and how grateful we are for them. It was an unforgettable night.
"We will continue to work each day to improve our play and our engagement with the community," she added. "Our greatest desire is to give back to the community for everything it has done for us. We will miss playing at our home court until next season, and we hope everyone continues to send our team positive thoughts and energy as we head to postseason."
Final region win
The Grizzlies picked up their final Region 16 win Oct. 18 in a five-set thriller at Mineral Area College in Park Hills. The night was filled with emotion as the Cardinals celebrated head coach Tim Copeland's 500th win as a head coach and their sophomores' final home game. It also determined who would be the first seed in the region tournament.
Ultimately, the Grizzlies played spoiler to the Cardinals' celebrations, taking the contest 25-20, 14-25, 18-25, 25-22, 15-8.
"It was a game of many ups and downs on both sides of the net," Figueiredo said. "We won the first set, then lost the next two. We recovered well in the fourth set and were more focused on our actions in the fifth. We kept the fight and did a great job beating MAC and placing our name in the region finals."
Freshman outside hitter Rosa Brencic had an exceptional night at the net offensively, smashing a team-leading 23 kills. She also led the team defensively with 19 digs.
Fellow freshman outside hitter Gibby Beckler also performed well, downing 15 kills of her own, and freshman setter Caroline Glatkowski dished out 44 assists and dug eight balls.
Struggles at Iowa tournament
Following their success at MAC, the Grizzlies traveled to Council Bluffs, Iowa, to compete in the Dennis South Memorial Classic at Iowa Western Community College Oct. 19-21. Defensive struggles and an injury to Glatkowski in the first game of the event against the host team, however, set the tone for the weekend.
"We knew we needed to prepare to play five sets and be strong mentally against Iowa Western because we knew we could meet them again in districts," Figueiredo said.
As anticipated the Grizzlies and Reivers battled to a fifth and deciding set as both teams struggled defensively. Using a tough service game, the Grizzlies quickly went up 6-0 but they missed the next serve and lost momentum, Figueiredo said.
"We made a lot of unforced errors, which allowed them to go up 8-7," the coach explained. "At that moment, our setter, Caroline, collided with our libero and sprained her ankle, leaving her out of the Felisberto, a sophomore transfer from Odessa College, took over setting duties, but the change didn't faze the Reivers. "Iowa Western stayed focused and quickly adapted to reading our ball distribution. We ended up losing the fifth set due to lack of concentration and losing momentum." The final score was 25-19, 20-25, 17-25, 25-21, 11-15.
The Grizzlies's struggles continued against their second-day opponent, Monroe College. "We struggled with our side out from the beginning, and when we had the chance to build a good transition, we did not stay consistent with our strategy, which exposed our blocking and defensive system," Figueiredo said. "We did not put up a good fight against a good team, and they stayed aggressive the entire match." The Grizzlies fell in straight sets 16-25, 12-25, 23-25.
MSU-WP met a familiar foe on the final day of the event, and although they defeated Hutchinson Community College earlier in the season, a win was not guaranteed. "We had a plan in place to be successful again, but we had a big change in our offensive system with the change of setters, and the team was not able to adapt and keep the same level of side out and transition," Figueiredo explained.
"Unfortunately, it was not a game where our team showed a lot of intensity or strength. Hutch simply did not make a lot of unforced errors and was very consistent with their serving. Their patience and ball handling were key to beating our team," she added. The final score was 16-25, 10-25, 11-25.
"The tournament started well, but losing Caroline, who has contributed 877 assists this season, was a big factor in our team's sudden mental drop in the competition," Figueiredo said. "We need to keep working hard, stay together and get mentally strong for the postseason."
Tournament statistics show Brencic leading the way offensively at the net with 39 kills. She was followed by freshman middle blocker Maja Bochenek with 20, Farish with 15 and Beckler with 11.
Glatkowski handed out 34 assists, and Felisberto added 27. Freshman libero Eduarda Portas led the team in service aces with eight.
Brencic led the team defensively, as well, with 30 digs for the tournament, and Bochenek had seven blocks.
For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball team, visit its website at MSUWPGrizzlies.com.