wins in Wichita, with WSU taking the first and ultimately winning 15-9 in the fifth. Thomas handed out 49 assists and scooped 14 digs to win Valley Freshman of the Week. Missouri State opened the month of November by losing to Drake for the first time in 23 matches. The Bulldogs hit .256 and dispatched the Bears in four sets. On Nov. 6, the Bears avenged an earlier loss to Creighton by rolling the Bluejays in straight sets. Norman had 10 kills and the defense held CU to .072 hitting. The Bears completed season sweeps of SIU and Evansville the next weekend, winning both matches 3-0. Michnowicz had 22 kills on .463 hitting for MVC Player of the Week accolades, while Thomas was the league’s top freshman again after hitting .714 with 12.67 assists per set as the offense hit .314 in the wins. Missouri State ran its winning streak to four by surviving another scare from Bradley Nov. 19, beating the Braves 15-11 in the fifth set as Megan Bess pounded 24 kills on .488 hitting. In the regular season finale, MSU had failed to convert four set points in the first against 12th-ranked UNI and lost 31-29 before the Panthers claimed the 3-0 win. The victory for UNI clinched the Panthers their second consecutive 18-0 conference season.
Short Stay at the MVC Tournament
Missouri State’s 12-6 MVC record was good for the fourth seed at the MVC Tournament and a match-up with Illinois State in the quarterfinals. Playing without McCartney due to an ankle injury, the Bears sputtered to a .162 hitting percentage in the 3-1 loss.
MVC Ties Record For NCAA Bids
The Bears received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament with an RPI in the low 40s as the MVC sent four teams to the postseason, tying the league’s previous record from 2007. Missouri State drew Auburn in the first round in Lincoln, Neb., in what was a very winnable match in the eyes of the Bears. Missouri State struggled in the first set against the Tigers, and lost the next two sets after being tied 24-24 in the second and leading 24-23 and 25-24 in the third, leaving a feeling of “what if?” around the team. In fact, it was a disappointing tournament for most of the MVC, despite Creighton winning its first round match, as Wichita State fell in the first round and UNI was upset at home as the No. 5 national seed.
Changes to the Record Book
Cara Hackmann concluded her MSU career with seven school records (career digs, career dig average, season digs, season dig average, digs in a match, career double-figure dig
Bears Volleyball
2010 MVC Post-Season Results State Farm MVC Tournament (at Cedar Falls, Iowa)
Quarterfinals
#3 Creighton def. #6 Drake, 3-1 25-11, 21-25, 25-18, 25-18 #5 Illinois State def. #4 Missouri State, 3-1 25-19, 18-25, 25-18, 25-21
Semifinals
#3 Creighton def. #2 Wichita State, 3-1 25-21, 25-19, 17-25, 25-13 #1 UNI def. #5 Illinois State, 3-0 25-17, 25-16, 25-21
Championship
#1 UNI def. #3 Creighton, 3-1 25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 25-20
All-MVC Tournament Team
Kelley Michnowicz became MSU’s fourth All-American in volleyball
matches, and hitting percentage in a match), while Michnowicz, Norman and McCartney also changed the record book in 2010. Michnowicz hit .367 to rank second in school history while bumping her career figure to third at .309. Norman finished her junior year eighth in career hitting percentage at .290. McCartney’s average of 3.33 kills per set ranked second all-time among freshmen, while her 326 total kills rated fourth.
Plenty of Awards to go Around
Michnowicz headlined the award winners by becoming MSU’s fourth All-American with an honorable mention selection to the AVCA squad after earning first-team all-Central Region honors from the organization. She was also a first-team all-MVC pick for the second consecutive season and a two-time league player of the week. Norman made the all-conference first team for the third time, something only 16 other MVC players have done. McCartney was the MVC Freshman of the Year along with winning the league’s weekly freshman honor three times, while Thomas won weekly honors twice on the way to an all-freshman team selection. Hackmann was an Academic All-District Third Team member and on the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, while Melissa Gmur was an honorable mention selection to the MVC’s academic squad.
Stokes Continues to Win
Melissa Stokes completed her 15th season at MSU with a 335-155 record. She ranks third all-time in victories among MVC coaches, and is four league wins away from breaking the all-time record for conference victories. She has piloted the Bears to 12 consecutive 20-win seasons, a longer streak than all but six other schools nationally.
Ellie Blankenship, UNI (MVP) Amy Braun, UNI Bre Payton, UNI Allie Oelke, Creighton Nayka Benitez, Creighton Camri Zweisler, Wichita State Bethany Fuller, Missouri State LeighAnn Hranka, Illinois State Whitney Westrum, Drake
NCAA Tournament (at campus sites)
At Lincoln, Neb. 12/2 - Auburn def. Missouri State, 3-0 At Minneapolis, Minn. 12/3 - Creighton 3, Iowa State 2 12/4 - Minnesota 3, Creighton 0 At Norman, Okla. 12/3 - Oklahoma 3, Wichita State 0 At Cedar Falls, Iowa 12/3 - Missouri 3, UNI 2
2010 MVC Leaders (All Matches) Hitting Percentage
K
Kelley Michnowicz, MSU Michelle Burow, UNI Krista DeGeest, UNI Sarah McGee, WSU Emily Wandersee, UE
244 383 298 229 307
Kills Per Set
S
Morgan Dall, INS Alicia Runge, CU Camri Zwiesler, WSU Jennifer Berwanger, SIU Emily Adney, WSU
114 124 106 99 105
Assists Per Set
S Assists Ave.
Bre Payton, UNI Kristin Stauter, ILS Mary Elizabeth Hooper, WSU Megan Bober, CU Rachael Brown, SIU
118 1314 11.14 116 1230 10.60 106 1104 10.42 124 1272 10.26 100 1019 10.19
Service Aces Per Set
S
Madelyn Ervin, BU Mallory Leggett, ILS Nayka Benitez, CU Alicia Johnson, SIU Tabitha Visk, ILS
96 121 118 98 106
Digs Per Set
S
Alana Wittenburg, DU Ellie Blankenship, UNI Sarah Waldorf, WSU Katie Klages, UE Jenny Menendez, ILS
132 119 106 102 121
Blocks Per Set
S
BS
BA
Ave.
Sarah McGee, WSU Laurel Sanford, CU Krista DeGeest, UNI Jasmine Conner, SIU Calli Norman, MSU
96 105 119 97 116
17 12 14 30 11
105 103 114 74 99
1.27 1.10 1.08 1.07 0.95
E
TA
Pct.
46 85 82 54 74
540 846 625 521 732
.367 .352 .346 .336 .318
Kills
Ave.
469 463 391 358 372
4.11 3.73 3.69 3.62 3.54
Aces
Ave.
38 45 39 28 29
0.40 0.37 0.33 0.29 0.27
Digs
Ave.
761 658 526 482 551
5.77 5.53 4.96 4.73 4.55
2011 Guide 2011 Guide
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