Box score

BOLIVAR, Mo. -- The SBU Bearcats fell just short of ending their five-game slide against Northwest Missouri, in a match that went the distance with scores of 26-24, 19-25, 25-14, 18-25, 15-6. Sophomore  Ashley Jurgensmeyer led the 'Cats with 15 kills, while Lauren Noble had a team-high 30 digs, and Brianna Wallace collected 42 assists. Freshman Alex Smith had her 12th double-double on the year, with 10 kills and 15 assists.

After an early 3-0 SBU lead in the first set, the green Bearcats went on a 5-1 run to take a 5-4 advantage. SBU would hang close throughout the set, and would force a 24-24 tie after a kill from Elsey Hopkins. The Bearcats could not pull ahead, however, and lost the first set after two straight points for Northwest. The second set started out going back and forth between the two squads, when a 10-4 SBU run turned the score from a 9-9 draw to a 19-13 SBU advantage. Northwest Missouri took the following three points after a timeout, but SBU would close out the set to even the match off of Smith's set clinching kill.

The green Bearcats came out firing at the start of the third set, jumping out to an early 8-2 lead that they would not relinquish SBU would put up only eight kills in the set, and fell 25-14. SBU answered back in the fourth, where after a kill from Northwest Missouri's Ashley Mitchell tied the set at 15-15, the purple 'Cats went on a 9-0 run to earn a 24-15 match point. Jurgensmeyer led the attack with two kills and two service aces while SBU pulled away. Northwest would take three points in an attempt to get back in the match, but a service error would give SBU the fourth set.

Northwest Missouri went up early in the fifth and final game, taking a 4-1 lead. SBU would battle back and close the deficit to one, at 5-4. Northwest would then answer back with a 8-0 run to take a commanding 13-4 lead in the first-to-15 set. A pair of kills from Kelsey Stewart would put the match at 14-6, but Northwest closed out the match with a kill from Alex Hanna.

SBU falls to 10-21 with the loss, including a 3-12 mark in the MIAA. Northwest Missouri improves to 13-18 overall, and 4-11 in the conference. Next weekend, the 'Cats kick off a three-game road trip, beginning at Topeka, Kansas to take on the Washburn Lady Blues, on Friday, November 6. Scheduled start time is 7 p.m. SBU then travels to Fort Hays State Saturday, November 7, for a match starting at 3 p.m.