MATCH 18: SBU BEARCATS (6-11, 1-4 MIAA)
at #6 WASHBURN LADY BLUES (17-1, 5-1 MIAA)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8 • 7:00 PM
LEE ARENA • TOPEKA, KS

M19: at FORT HAYS STATE TIGERS (7-10, 0-5 MIAA)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9 • 3:00 PM
GROSS MEMORIAL COLISEUM • HAYS, KS


LIVE STATS: WU | FHSU

GAME NOTES

BOLIVAR, Mo. -- After four games in Topeka at the Lady Blues Fall Classic, the SBU Bearcats make a return trip to Kansas, as they take on the Washburn Lady Blues, and the Fort Hays State Tigers.

Junior Ashley Jurgensmeyer continues to lead the Bearcats, with an average of 3.41 kills per set, placing her third among MIAA leaders. Her .338 hitting percentage ranks seventh in the league.

Setter Brianna Wallace has a chance by season's end to surpass Chelsea Kenney's school record of 3,906 assists. Wallace currently has 562 assists on the season (8.92/game), and 3,415 over her career, just 491 behind Kenney.

Defensively, the Bearcats are averaging 1.78 blocks per set, seventh-best in the MIAA; senior Joanna Granzow leads the 'Cats with 50 total blocks, while Jurgensmeyer (44) and Wallace (39) also anchor the front line defense. SBU has four players averaging more than two digs each set, led by senior Marcy Greenwade (3.73 digs/set), and followed up by newcomers Alyx Glover (2.37) and Britni Reed (2.17). Brianna Wallace is also averaging 2.03 digs each game.

THE COACHES AND THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Bearcat head coach Kelly Richardson enters her fourth season, and looks to further improve a program that has won more games over the past two seasons than from 2002-2007 combined. Over her first three years, Richardson has seen six players earn All-MIAA honors, and has recorded a career mark of 39-76.

Chris Herron led the Lady Blues to their third straight 30-win season and their sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance last season. Through his first eight seasons, Washburn has won two conference titles.

Kurt Kohler is in his second season at Fort Hays State, coming from Barton (Kan.) Community College, where he was a head coach for three seasons before taking over as athletic director. Kohler has compiled an overall record of 96-71.

The Lady Blues hold a significant edge over the Bearcats in the all-time series, having won 35 of the teams' 38 meetings. The rivalry between SBU and Fort Hays is much newer, with the Tigers having joined the MIAA in 2006. Fort Hays holds a 4-3 record against the Bearcats, but SBU has won three of the last four matchups.

SCOUTING THE LADY BLUES AND TIGERS
The Lady Blues boast a #6 national ranking and a 17-1 overall record, having won seven in a row. Washburn is in the top ten nationally in a number of categories, including assists per set (12.92, 10th), hitting percentage (.276, 10th), kills per set (13.83, 10th), and winning percentage (.941, 5th). Mollie Lacy (.377) and Breanna Lewis (.370) rank 25th and 26th repectively in hitting percentage in Division II.

Defensively, the Lady Blues lead the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.109), blocks per game (2.32), and digs per game (16.98). Sophomore Jessica Fey is one of two MIAA players to average one block per game, and has 54 total blocks on the year.

The Fort Hays Tigers are coming off a four-game winning streak, after going unbeaten at the Texas-Permian Basin tournament, however, Hays is still looking for it's first conference win. Tracie Hileman leads the Tigers with an average of 3.59 kills per set, ranking her 42nd in the nation and second in the MIAA. Senior Whitney Liggett is fifth in the conference in assists, with an average of 9.8 per set. Freshman Kirsten Chamberlin anchors the back row defense with 4.2 digs per game, seventh-best in the league.