MATCH 10: SBU BEARCATS (6-7, 1-4 MIAA)
vs ABILENE CHRISTIAN WILDCATS (10-2)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1 • 9:30 AM
M11: vs DALLAS BAPTIST PATRIOTS (8-8)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1 • 6:30 PM
M12: vs ANGELO STATE RAMBELLES (6-6)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2 • 11:00 AM
M13: vs TARLETON STATE TEXANNS (13-2)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2 • 5:00 PM
WASHBURN REGIONAL CROSSOVER • LEE ARENA • TOPEKA, KS

GAME NOTES

BOLIVAR, Mo. -- With about a third of the MIAA schedule behind them, the SBU Bearcats prepare for the final tournament of the regular season. SBU will have a great opportunity to face some regional foes in an attempt to improve their resume for a possible NCAA Tournament selection. Three Lone Star Conference opponents, in Abilene Christian, Angelo State, and Tarleton State, along with Dallas Baptist out of the Heartland Conference, will face the Bearcats this Friday and Saturday.

The Bearcats have struggled as of late, dropping three conference matches last week. The 'Cats defeated Nebraska-Omaha earlier this month, their first-ever victory against the Mavericks.

Junior Ashley Jurgensmeyer continues to lead the Bearcats, with an average of 3.49 kills per set, good for second-most in the MIAA, just two kills behind the conference leader. Her .340 hitting percentage ranks eighth 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 437 assists on the season (8.92/game, 7th-most in the MIAA), and 3,276 over her career, just 630 behind Kenney.

Defensively, the SBU has a pair of players averaging more than 2.5 digs each set, led by senior Marcy Greenwade (3.71 digs/set), and followed up by newcomer Alyx Glover (2.51). Up front, Jurgensmeyer leads the 'Cats with 38 total blocks, averaging 0.84 per set.

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 39-75.

This season is the fifth for Kellen Mock in Abilene, who played for the Wildcats before moving to assistant coach in 2005. Mock has seen improvement in her program, after posting a 26-9 record last year, which included a trip to the Lone Star Conference tournament championship game.

Cathy Ray is entering her eighth year as head volleyball coach at Dallas Baptist. While at Dallas Baptist, Ray has led her squad to a Heartland Conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance, as well as an AVCA Team Academic Award, by posting a team GPA of 3.30.

Chuck Waddington has gotten his fourth season as head coach of the Angelo State Rambelles underway with a record of 45-20.

Mary Schindler is in her sixth season on the Tarleton bench, with a 93-81 career record.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

Abilene Christian boasts the sixth-most blocks per set in the country, with 2.59. Junior Shawna Hines leads the Wildcat front line, with 1.44 blocks each set, ranking her fifth in the nation. Hines is actually off her average from a year ago, when she led all of Division II with 1.58 blocks a game.

Dallas Baptist freshman Kara Kemp isn't too far behind Hines' pace, averaging 1.14 blocks a set, 25th-best in the nation. Kaylyn Frink leads the offense with 170 kills (2.88 per game).

Angelo State's high powered offense averages 12.8 kills per set, with a .227 team hitting percentage, 3rd- and 2nd-best in the LSC, respectively. Chelsea Gibson is third in the conference, hitting at a .308 clip.

Tarleton State has posted the best overall record in the LSC, but sits in the middle of the standings after losses to Angelo and Abilene. The TexAnns rank in the top 25 nationally with 12.33 assists, led by Jessie Hartman's 6.58 per game.