TOPEKA, Kan. – The Tarleton volleyball team will take a break from Lone Star Conference and will travel to Topeka, Kan. this weekend (Oct. 2-3) to participate in the Washburn Lady Blues Fall Classic.
The TexAnns will face some good competition over the weekend, as two of their four opponents are ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Top 25 Poll. Tarleton will play two matches on Friday, opening with Northwest Missouri State (8-9) at 9:30 a.m. and then following up against No. 20 Truman State (12-6) at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, the TexAnns will face tournament host and No. 9-ranked Washburn (15-2) at 1 p.m. Tarleton will then conclude tournament play against Southwest Baptist (7-10) Saturday evening at 5 p.m.
The TexAnns, 6-11 overall and 2-2 in LSC play, are coming off a 1-1 trip to Oklahoma last weekend. Tarleton fell to Central Oklahoma in straight sets back on Thursday before turning things around and returning the favor to Southwestern Oklahoma on Saturday.
The TexAnns enter this weekend's matches just 3-9 in tournament play this season.
Tarleton's first opponent, NWMSU, has lost three straight and seven of their last eight matches going into the tournament. The Bearcats opened the season winning seven of their first nine matches. NWMSU is 4-4 in tournament play this season with a 3-2 record on a neutral court.
The Bearcats have four different players with 100-plus kills. Sara Falcone leads the squad with 162 kills and a .299 attacking percentage. She is also tops on the squad with 58 total blocks. Laira Akin runs the Bearcat offense and leads the team with 595 assists. The team is led defensively by Paige Spangenberg who heads into the weekend with 300 digs.
The TexAnns and Bearcats have met just once, with NWMSU taking the match 3-2 back on Oct. 27, 1995 in Springfield, Mo.
The Bulldogs bring a two-match win streak into the tournament that includes a 3-1 win over then No. 21 Pittsburg State last Saturday. TSU is 9-3 in tournament play this season, which includes a 3-0 win over the TexAnns back on Aug. 29 in Omaha, Neb.
The Bulldogs too, have four players with over 100 kills this season, but Megan Sharpe leads the squad with 206 kills and an impressive .362 attacking percentage which ranks her 29th in the nation. Casey Bruno leads the Bulldogs with 282 digs and is ranked 38th in the nation averaging 4.78 digs per set. Ashley Petak leads TSU with 450 assists on the season.
The TexAnns and Bulldogs are now 1-1 against each other following the match earlier this season. Tarleton opened the season with an all-time record of 1-0 against TSU, defeating the Bulldogs, 3-1, in Edmond, Okla. back on Sept. 20, 1997.
Washburn heads into this weekend's action having lost their previous two matches. The Lady Blues opened the season winning 15 straight before falling to a couple of ranked teams last week.
The Lady Blues rank ninth in the nation in both assists (13.07 per set) and kills (14.16 per set). Mollie Lacy and Breanna Lewis are in the nation's top 20 in hitting percentage, with Lacy ranking third (.439) and Lewis behind her at No. 19 (.383). Lacy leads the Lady Blues with 152 kills. Kate Hampson is tops on her team with 571 assists. Molly Smith leads the team defensively with 206 digs.
Tarleton leads the all-time series with a 1-0 record after defeating the Lady Blues, 3-1, in Edmond, Okla., back on Aug. 28, 1998.
SBU has won two straight heading into the weekend. The Bearcats collected win over Missouri Southern and NWMSU last weekend. SBU is 3-5 on a neutral court this season which includes a five-set win over the TexAnns in Wichita Falls.
Ashley Jergensmeyer leads the Bearcats with 180 kills on the season. She is followed by Alex Smith (178) and Kelsey Stewart (174). Smith is tops on the squad with 211 digs. Brianna Wallace leads the team with 597 assists.
The TexAnns are now 0-2 all-time against the Bearcats after the loss in Wichita Falls. Tarleton fell to SBU, 3-2, in San Antonio back on Aug. 30 of last season.
The TexAnns are led by senior middle blocker Shay Gracy with 183 kills and a .262 hitting percentage. She leads all players with 53 total blocks and 14 blocks solo as well. Jessie Hartman leads the team with 443 assists while Shea McBrearty leads the team with 276 digs. She averages 4.6 digs per set which ranks her 45th best in the nation. The junior libero has 1,096 career digs and needs just 24 more to overtake Missy Castro (1,119) for third place on the all-time career digs list. She needs just 36 more to overtake Carie Key (1,131) for second place all-time.
All four matches this weekend will be played at Lee Arena on the Washburn campus.
