Kearney, Neb. – With the end of the regular season right around the corner, the now 7th-ranked Nebraska Kearney volleyball team visits NW Missouri State and Missouri Western State this weekend.

The Lopers (23-3, 15-3) need wins to keep pace with No. 19 Central Missouri, who also is 15-3 in league play, and improve their standing in the region. UNK has been sixth in the region rankings each of the past two weeks.

The matches in Maryville and St. Joe both begin at 7:00 p.m. Check the UNK schedule page for links; Saturday's match vs. the Griffons can be heard locally on KGFW AM 1340 and on-line.

Earlier this year against the Bearcats (9-17, 6-12), UNK hit .353 as five different players had at least five kills. Not surprisingly, the Lopers won in straight sets, 25-14, 25-12, 25-19.

Northwest is currently riding an eight-match losing streak with two of those setbacks coming in five sets. Having a 4-6 home record, they are led by sophomore Miranda Foster.

The 5-9 right side/outside hitter is averaging 3.45 kills and 2.74 digs per set while hitting .130. She had nine kills, nine digs and nine attack errors in the loss at the Health & Sports Center.

MWSU is right behind the Lopers and Jennies in the league standings with a 14-4 mark. Having a 20-6 overall record, the Griffons suffered an upset loss at Pittsburg State, 3-0, last Saturday.

A solid 7-2 at home, the Griffons will say good bye to four seniors prior to the match in setter Kelly Scannell, libero Sarah Faubel and hitters Erica Rottinghaus and Amanda Boender.

These are among the Griffons top players, Boender at 2.27 kills and 1.10 blocks pet set, Rottinghaus providing 3.50 kills a set and Faubel averaging a team-best 3.73 digs per set.
UNK had 12 team blocks in a 3-1 win over Western (20-25, -8, -17, -21) back on October 11th. Rottinghaus did have 16 kills, eight digs and hit .464 with Boender at six kills and four blocks.

Possibly on Saturday night, senior libero Liz McGowan (G.I. Central Catholic) will break a 19-year old school record. After digging up 61 balls in just two matches last week, McGowan now has 1,998 in her career. Only Angie Usher ('95/2,058) and Kelli Wemhoff ('09/2,042) have reached the 2,000 career dig mark.

McGowan is sixth in the MIAA in dps at 4.54. Her season total and average would be a bit higher had she not helped out at outside hitter early this fall.

At the net, UNK has recorded 190 blocks, 75 of the solo variety. Junior right side Kelle Carver (Shawnee Mission, Kans.) has the most solo stuffs (21) with freshman middle Tara Ziegelbein (Lincoln Lutheran) and junior setter Erin Seele (Johnstown, Colo.) each having 11.

By comparison, the opposition has had only 31 solo blocks all season.

Offensively, UNK has six players between 2.21-3.13 kills per set. Five members of that group have recorded at least 100 kills with Carver (.306), Ziegelbein (.296) and sophomore middle Bailey Sokolowski (.291) ranking in the MIAA top 10 in hitting efficiency as well.

Next week, the Lopers visit Emporia State and Washburn.