Grizzly Volleyball will host Grizzly Invitational Friday, Saturday

The Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball team will host the Grizzly Invitational tournament Friday and Saturday, Oct. 6 and 7, in the Joe Paul Evans Arena at the West Plains Civic Center.

Joining the Grizzlies at the two-day event are Region 16 rival Jefferson College, Iowa Western Community College, Panola College, No. 10 Trinity Valley Community College and Tyler Junior College.

Action will begin at 9 a.m. each day. The Grizzlies will play Trinity Valley at 6 p.m. Friday and Panola and Tyler at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, on Saturday.

Before this weekend's tournament, the Grizzlies will travel to Hillsboro today, Oct. 4, to face Jefferson in a 6:30 p.m. contest.

Kansas tournament results

The Grizzlies are going into tonight's contest with a 12-10 record after posting a 3-1 record this past weekend in the Cowley College Invitational Tournament in Arkansas City, Kansas.

MSU-WP faced two of the top NJCAA Division II teams in the nation at the event – the hosting Tigers, who are ranked third, and the 13th ranked Central Community College Raiders from Columbus, Nebraska.

The Grizzlies started the tournament Friday, Sept. 29, against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and picked up a 25-12, 25-12, 25-12 victory. On Saturday, Sept. 30, they defeated the Raiders 25-17, 25-21, 25-18, before losing to the Tigers 15-25, 18-25, 17-25.

"We were grateful to be part of the great competition at Cowley," Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paty Figueiredo said. "It was a tournament with many challenges, especially because we did not have a lot of information on the teams. We had to learn as we played and create strategies as we learned more about our opponents during the games."

The effort paid off against their first two opponents. "We were successful at reading our opponents and adapting to the game," Figueiredo said. "In our second game against Central, we were able to study them before our match and create a game strategy. Our team was focused which allowed us to play with some changes in our lineup and showed us how we could use our players in different situations."

The undefeated Tigers proved to be the Grizzlies' biggest challenge at the event. "We were very excited and prepared for this game knowing the quality of the opponent. We knew they would try to use their serving to keep us out of system," Figueiredo said.

"We started the first set well but struggled a lot with our serve receive and that made a difference in the game," she added. "Our serve receive did not allow us to have a good side out which created difficulties in our defensive system. After the 10th point of the set, we felt the pressure of the game and could not keep up with their aggressive serving and a well distributed transition. We were behind by 4 or 5 points for most of the contest, making us very vulnerable and not very confident. Cowley accomplished their strategy by serving well and not making a lot of mistakes."

Despite the loss, Figueiredo said the tournament was a great experience for the team. "We faced different styles of play, we were able to have players in different positions, and we played under a lot of pressure against an effective team and in front of a big crowd. We improved as a team and learned from this experience," Figueiredo said.

Three Grizzlies earned all-tournament team honors – freshman outside hitter Gibson Beckler and freshman middle blockers Kaitlyn Aleshire and Maja Bochenek. Beckler had 24 kills, three blocks, 19 digs and one service ace for the tournament. Aleshire had 15 kills, four blocks and two digs, and Bochenek had 18 kills, 11 blocks, six digs and three service aces.

MAC sweep

Before participating in the Cowley tournament, the Grizzlies hosted Region 16 rival Mineral Area College (MAC) Sept. 27 and swept the Cardinals 25-19, 25-21, 25-14.

"We were really looking forward to our game against MAC. We know it's always a good game with both teams fighting hard to win," Figueiredo.  "From watching game film, we knew we needed to serve well, have a good defensive system and do well in transition with our middle blockers. We accomplished our goals with great distribution from our setter, which took the pressure off our side and gave us better control of the game."

Sophomore outside attacker Lauryn Farish led the Grizzlies offensively at the net with 14 kills, while Bochenek held the defensive line at the net with four blocks. Freshman setter Caroline Glatkowski led the team in assists with 33, and she and freshman outside hitter Iolanda Tercariol paced the team in digs with 17 each. Beckler had three service aces.

Figueiredo thanked everyone who attended the game and watched the livestream. "Thank you for your encouragement and support," she said.

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