Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern volleyball team will conclude the regular-season when the Lions play host to Nebraska-Kearney this Friday and Fort Hays State on Saturday.
First-serve against the Lopers is set for 5:30 pm on Friday and the match with the Tigers is set for 3:30 pm on Saturday. Saturday's match will be Senior Day for the two senior's on the roster,
CC Pollard and
Brooklynn McCain.
The Lions (4-24, 1-17 MIAA) enter the final weekend having earned a split with Emporia State and No. 3 ranked Washburn last weekend. The Lions took out the Hornets in four sets on Friday.
Southern is led offensively by Pollard with 2.63 kills per set, while
Armyni Perales has a team-high 174 total kills.
Sophie Mader has 716 assists on the season, while McCain has a team-high 343 digs. Mader has 209 digs of her own as the two average 3.69 and 2.20 digs per set, respectively.
Kierson Maydew leads the team with 52 total blocks, while
Amelia Neels has 41 of her own.
Grace Quiroz has a team-high 22 aces on the season, while Mader (20) and McCain (19) are close behind.
Emily-Kate Lonergan has 151 digs on the season, averaging 2.13 per set.
UNK (22-5, 13-5) has won nine matches in a row, including a four-set defeat of then No. ranked Central Missouri. The Lopers are led by Emmersen Cyza who averages 3.40 kills per set, while Anna Squires (2.85) and Cece Beahm (2.92) give the Lopers a potent front line. Madison Squires leads the team with 11.85 assists per set, while Lindsay Nottleman leads the team with 5.05 digs per set.
FHSU (12-15, 6-12 MIAA) comes into the match, having lost four of its last five matches. The Tigers are led by Riley Tinder at 2.29 kills per set and Isabelle Reynolds at 2.23 kills per set, while Mogan Christiansen averages 2.14 kills per set. The Tigers utilize a pair of setters with Elysia Glowacz averaging 5.41 assists per set and Olivia Hessman 4.29 per set. Jaden Daffer (4.15 digs per set) alognside Reynolds (3.32 digs per set) and Tinder (3.33 digs per set) lead the defense. Christiansen is averaging 1.07 blocks per set.
Live results and video will be available for both matches with links to each in the story link section above.
