The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team split a pair of matches at the Quincy University Tournament on Friday.

– The Bearcats, which is now 2-3 on the year, opened the day with a 3-0 sweep of host Quincy University.

– Northwest fell to McKendree University in the afternoon match, 0-3.

Match One Key Statistics (Northwest 3, Quincy 0)
– The Bearcats took all three sets, winning by scores of 25-20, 25-15 and 25-23.

– Northwest hit .147 as a team and held the Hawks to a .050 attack percentage.

– Maddy Bruder and Alexi Williams led the way with nine kills each. Bruder added 15 digs and Williams contributed a pair of blocks defensively.

– Sarah Dannettell had 29 assists and 13 digs.

– Olivia Nowakowski had 19 digs, five assists and a service ace.

– Darcy Sunderman had 13 digs defensively with six kills and a service ace.

– Hallie Sidney had eight kills, six digs and three blocks.

Match One Key Sequence
– Up 20-19 in the first set, Northwest got back-to-back kills from Sidney and Williams to take a three-point lead, 22-19. After a bad set from Quincy, Sidney put away a kill to give the Bearcats set point. Quincy got a point back on a service error but Williams gave Northwest the early lead with a kill of an assist from Dannettell.

– Late in the third set, Northwest held a six-point lead, 22-16. But the Hawks responded by taking the next four point to close the gap to 22-20. After a Bearcat timeout, the two teams traded points and a kill from Williams gave Northwest match point at 24-21. Quincy would win the next two points to and had the serve with a chance to tie the set with the score at 24-23. But Bruder came up with a kill off a Dannettell assist to give Northwest the win.

Match Two Key Statistics (McKendree 3, Northwest 0)
– McKendree won all three sets by scores of 25-23, 25-23 and 25-21.

– Sidney led the Bearcats with six kills. She had two assists, two blocks, two digs and added a service ace.

– Bruder had five kills with five digs and a service ace.

– Sunderman had five kills with nine digs, two blocks and a service ace.

– Dannettell had 20 assists with four digs and four kills.

– Nowakowski had 13 digs with two assists.
Up Next

– The Bearcats will face Minnesota State-Moorhead at 9 a.m. on Saturday followed by a 4:30 p.m. contest against Wayne State (Mich.) at 4:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce

TOPEKA, Kan. – The momentum shifted heavily against Northwest Missouri State. Washburn could smell a shockwave-type upset, knocking off the No. 1 ranked team and ending the longest current winning streak in all of college football.

The Ichabods had just scored a touchdown and forced a fumble. They got the ball to the Northwest 12 and faced fourth and one midway through the third quarter. Trailing by five points, Washburn went for it. Northwest’s defense rose to the occasion and stopped the Ichabods.

Amazingly, the Bearcats won that pivotal moment playing without senior defensive linemen Caleb Mather, Bobby Gruenloh and Ben Spaeth, who all missed the game because of injuries.

“It was huge, absolutely huge,” Northwest coach Rich Wright said of the defensive stop. “We told our kids on the sidelines (during a timeout) about the long count. I said you got to wait and go on movement. I am proud of those young kids who started on the defensive front tonight. I had four kids tonight who collectively started one game in their college career, and that was last week.”

After the stop, Northwest regained control of the game and hung on to win 20-14 over Washburn Thursday evening at Yager Stadium. Northwest, 2-0, increased its winning streak to 32 straight games. Washburn dropped to 1-1.

“We needed this. We needed this,” said Northwest senior running back Cameron Wilcox, who finished with 69 yards and one touchdown. “I trust my guys, and they trust us, and we came out with a win.”

At the start of the third quarter, Northwest put together an efficient 78-yard drive that culminated with a 14-yard touchdown pass from senior Zach Martin to junior Shawn Bane to increase the Bearcats’ lead to 12-0.

“That team (Washburn) is a good football team,” said Northwest senior quarterback Zach Martin, who completed 30 of 40 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown. “They are physical. It is good for us to play in a long football game. Everyone has to play for the whole distance. We will have experience playing in this type of game when it comes to crunch time.”

Undaunted by the 12-point deficit, Washburn answered with a touchdown drive and closed to 12-7. On the ensuing kickoff, the Ichabods forced a fumble and got the ball at Northwest 20 with 8:50 left in the third quarter.

After the scaring moment that saw Northwest nearly lose the lead midway through the third quarter, the Bearcats settled down. Washburn stopped Northwest, but the Ichabods returned the favor.

Early in the fourth quarter, Northwest put together a 10-play, 87-yard scoring drive. The big play was a 42-yard run by senior Jordan Grove that put the ball at the 3. Three plays later, Northwest scored when Wilcox leaped into the end zone. A two-point conversion gave Northwest a 20-7 lead.

“We had to get something going,” said Grove, who finished with 65 yards rushing. “We were moving the ball in the first half, but we had lulls and couldn’t keep it going. Finally, in the second half, the O-line dug in and were physical and opened some holes for us and we took advantage of it.”

Washburn, though, refused to go away. The Ichabods scored a touchdown with 4:32 left and pulled to within six.

Northwest still needed to make a few plays to secure the win. Wilcox got it started with a 32-yard burst up the middle that put the ball at Washburn’s 48. The Ichabods once again tightened their defense and forced a punt with 2:40 left.

An overly enthusiastic Washburn team ran into the Northwest punter. The 5-yard penalty gave Northwest a first down. Grove and Wilcox put together two nice runs to give the Bearcats another first down with 1:43 left.

“Those boys up there really blocked,” Wilcox said of his offensive line. “They put themselves on the line for us. We got to follow them and make plays, and that is what we did.”

Washburn got the ball back at its 14 with 18 seconds left. It was highly improbable that the Ichabods could go 86 yards with so little time left. And they didn’t.

For the first time in nearly two years, Northwest needed to make plays in the waning minutes to win a football game. The last time the Bearcats had a single-digit victory was Sept. 26, 2015, when they beat Central Oklahoma 23-16 at Bearcat Stadium.

“Moving forward, we are looking to put together a complete game next week,” Wright said.

In the first half, Northwest faced one of its sternest challenge in the last four years and still went into halftime with a 5-0 lead. And that speaks to the formidable defense by the Bearcats.

Early on, there was no indication that the first half was going to be so close. Northwest stopped the Ichabods on three plays and forced a punt. Starting at its 21, Northwest methodically moved down field and got inside the 10.

Facing fourth and goal from the 2, Northwest was stopped one-yard shy of the goal line. The stop showed that the Washburn defense was determined to match the Bearcats.

But Northwest defense is special. The Bearcats shutout a high-powered Emporia State team last week and quickly made a winning play against Washburn. On Washburn’s next offensive play, the Bearcats tackled Washburn running back in the end zone for a safety.

“We knew we were going to be young on the defensive line while we are trying to get everybody healthy,” said junior defensive end Austen Eskew. “You just got to get off the ball, get in your gap and do your assignment. That is what coach preached all week.

“We had some busts, but we are young and battled hard, and that can overcome a lot of errors. I feel this was a big confidence booster for the young guys, including myself, without those three seniors we have there. They were leaders all week, and they did what they could to get us ready.”

Northwest got the ball back in good field position but was unable to move the ball. That became the theme for the rest of the first half. Northwest went into the second quarter ahead 2-0.

The Bearcats finally put together a scoring drive midway through the second quarter. They had to earn each yard. It took Northwest 12 plays and 6 minutes, 32 seconds to go 34 yards, setting up a 29-yard field goal by junior Brett Garner with 5:36 left in the second quarter.

A quarterback change by Washburn ignited the Ichabods’ best drive of the game. Washburn started at its 50 and moved to the 27 before the drive stalled. Washburn attempted a 47-yard field goal that fell short.

The defense by Northwest was simply stellar. The Bearcats allowed only 43 total yards and three first downs in the first half.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University soccer team fell to Rockhurst University, 3-1, on Wednesday at Bearcat Pitch in Maryville, Mo.

– Northwest falls to 1-1 on the year while Rockhurst improves to 2-0.

– Danielle Wolfe scored her first goal of the season in the 46th minute off an assist from Izzy Romano.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest had 19 total shots with 10 coming on goal. Rockhurst had 26 total shots with eight on target.

– Madi McKeever had a team-high five shots with three coming on goal.

– Danielle Wolfe, Emily Madden and Romano each had three shots.

– Ashley Malloy made five saves.

– Rockhurst scored goals in the 64th, 78th and 82nd minutes.

Key Northwest Sequence
– In the second half, Northwst played a ball down the left side of the field. Romano took the ball and found Danielle Wolfe near the end line. Wolfe took a shot that curled past the keeper and into the far side of the net to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead.

Up Next
– Northwest will have the weekend off before heading to St. Joseph, Mo., to take on Missouri Western on Friday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. in a non-conference matchup. The Bearcats return home on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 12:30 p.m. to face UCM in a non-MIAA match.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University soccer team scored twice in the second half to defeat Sioux Falls, 2-1, in the season opener.

– Northwest moves to 1-0 on the year while the Cougars fall to 1-1.

– Taylor Wolfe and Mollie Holtman each scored second half goals as the Bearcats overcame a 1-0 halftime defecit.

– Northwest out shot Sioux Falls, 20-8, and had six corner kicks to the Cougars’ three.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Taylor Wolfe had four shots and three shots on goal in her first collegiate game.

– Mollie Holtman had had three total shots with two coming on goal.

– Izzy Romano had three shots with one on goal.

– In goal, Ashley Malloy made one save for her first win of the year.

Key Northwest Sequences
– In the 75th minute, Taylor Wolfe ran down a long ball in front of the USF box. After the ball deflected off a defender, the freshman striker was able to redirect the ball past the keeper to tie the match, 1-1.

– Just over a minute later, Mollie Holtman found herself alone behind the Cougar back line off a deflected pass. Holtman calmly took the shot from the top of the box for the would-be game winning goal.

Up Next
– Northwest’s home opener will be on Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 5 p.m. at Bearcat Pitch against Rockhurst University.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team earned a season-opening split on Friday at the Ferris State Invitational in Big Rapids, Mich.

– The Bearcats (1-1) fell to Northern Michigan in the season opener, 3-2, but rebounded to beat Grand Valley State, 3-1, in the afternoon session.
Match One Key Statistics (Northern Michigan 3, Northwest 2)

– Northern Michigan won the first set, 25-15, but Northwest battled back to win the second, 25-21. After the Wildcats took a tough 25-23 third set, the Bearcats forced a fourth set with a 25-23 victory.

– In the final set, Northern Michigan rallied off six straight points to take the match with a 15-7 win.

– Maddy Bruder had 11 kills with nine digs and two blocks.

– Freshman Morgan Lewis had 10 kills and a team-high five blocks.

– Sofia Schleppenbach had 10 kills and four blocks.

– Olivia Nowakowski had 18 digs with a pair of service aces and two assists.

– Sarah Dannettell had 23 assists and nine digs.

– Jordyn Musselman added 18 assists with eight digs and a service ace.

Match One Key Sequence
– Tied at 19-19 in the fourth set, Northwest rallied with four-straight points. After a pair of Wildcat errors, Nowakowski got a service ace to drop and Alexis Williams had a kill off a Dannettell assist. After a timeout and a Northern Michigan point, Williams gave the Bearcats set point with a kill to make it 24-20. The Wildcats would go on a quick 3-0 run to pull within one, 24-23. After a Northwest timeout, Taylor Linenberger put away the set with a kill from Dannettell.

Match Two Key Statistics (Northwest 3, Grand Valley State 1)
– After dropping the first set to the Laker, 25-20, the Bearcats rebounded to win the next three by scores of 25-22, 25-22 and 25-20.

– Darcy Sunderman had a team-high 11 kills, hitting .323 for the match. She added 14 digs with a pair of blocks and a service ace.

– Schleppenbach had nine kills with three blocks and two digs.

– Dannettell had 20 assists with eight digs and a service ace.

– Nowakowski had a match-high 23 digs with three assists and a service ace.

– Bruder had seven kills with 13 digs and a block.

– Linenberger had nine kills with three digs and a pair of blocks.

Match Two Key Sequences
– Grand Valley took a 22-21 lead in the second and was looked to take a two set lead. But the Bearcats battled back and closed on a 4-0 run to even the match. After a service error by the Lakers, Sunderman came up with a kill and Northwest forced a GVSU attacking error. On set point, Sunderman put away a kill off a Dannettell assist.

– In the fourth set, Northwest trailed by two late, 20-18. Sunderman and Williams each put away kills to even the match, 20-20. A Laker attacking error forced a GVSU timeout with the Bearcats leading, 21-20. Out of the break, Grand Valley had a bad set to make it 22-20 and Williams made it a 23-20 game with a kill. Williams and Schleppenbach then came up with blocks on back-to-back points to give Northwest the set and the match.

Up Next
– The Ferris State Invitational concludes on Saturday. Northwest will face Davenport University at 9 a.m. CST and then will face host Ferris State at 1 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – On its first possession in the second half, Northwest Missouri State checked off the one phase it had a tad bit of trouble: completing a drive.

Already leading by 13 points, the Bearcats quickly marched 83 yards in eight plays and scored on a 6-yard touchdown run by senior Cameron Wilcox. The score gave Northwest, ranked No. 1 in the AFCA top 25, a commanding lead on the way to an impressive 34-0 victory over No. 4 Emporia State Thursday evening in front of 8,055 fans at Bearcat Stadium. Northwest increased its winning streak to 31 straight games.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Northwest senior quarterback Zach Martin, who completed 18 of 26 passes for 314 yards and one touchdown. “There is no place in Division II football like this. There is nothing better than this place.”

It was an impressive debut for first-year head coach Rich Wright, who in the previous six years orchestrated a bone-crushing defense that helped Northwest win three of the last four national championships.

“It was a lot of fun. So we begin,” Wright said. “I told the kids in the locker room that it is going to be their work, and their effort and everything we do moving forward will be based on their merit. They went out and played their tails off tonight. They played with a lot of energy and a lot of passion and played for each other. I was proud of their effort.

“We have a lot of things we can correct. There are a lot of ways we can grow as a football team, but I felt like that was a pretty good first step.”

Wright, who kept his defensive coordinating duties, still has the magic touch in making it difficult for opponents to score. Emporia State entered the game with junior Braxton Marstall, selected by many to be one of the top quarterbacks in Division II.

The Bearcats never allowed him to be comfortable in the pocket. Add in that Northwest special teams scored a touchdown in the first half that it became apparent Emporia State had no chance to beat the Bearcats once Northwest finished off drives.

Making his first start at quarterback for Northwest, Martin demonstrated a strong and accurate arm early in the third quarter. He showed that potential in the first half when he just missed on a couple of long pass attempts.

“They just prepared me so well throughout the week,” Martin said. “JB (Jonathan Baker) and I have been battling back and forth. We have done a good job of pushing each other and getting better every play. I have so many play makers around me that it is easy.”

Martin and Baker both showed the unselfish traits that previous quarterbacks at Northwest have exhibited. Afterwards, Baker smiled and uttered nothing but positive words about the home-opener. Because of the score, Baker saw action in the fourth quarter and completed two of three passes.

Martin made his presence felt early in the third quarter when he completed a 20-yard pass to senior Jordan Grove to the 50. Four plays later, Martin hit senior tight end Clayton Wilson on a 35-yard pass play that included Wilson leaping over an Emporia State defender to the one.

“I think it took him a little bit of time to knock the rust off,” said Northwest offensive coordinator Charlie Flohr. “He hasn’t played in a meaningful college football game in over two years. I was real proud of him, the rest of our offense and the way they came out and responded in the second half, scoring on the first drive.”

After a 5-yard penalty, Northwest scored its first offensive touchdown of the 2017 season on a 6-yard run by Wilcox.

“That’s what we were talking about at halftime that we have to finish off our drives,” Martin said. “It was great to go out there and finish a drive finally.”

Four minutes later, Northwest scored again on a 2-yard run by Grove. The icing on the cake came with 10:30 left in the game when Martin tossed a 54-yard touchdown bomb to junior Shawn Bane Jr. That was a significant play because Bane was returning from a torn ACL he suffered in the 10th game last season.

“I didn’t think about the injury, honestly,” Bane said. “I feel like I am 100 percent. It was a great feeling. It was a relief. It was everything I thought it was.”

Bane’s touchdown gave the Northwest a 34-0 lead in one of its most impressive season-openers.

While Northwest has the pedigree of a champion, there were a few unknowns were coming into the game because of the change in the head coach, a new starting quarterback and replacing a stellar defensive line. Northwest spectacularly answered those question.

Unless you expect a defense to give no yards in the first half, you must say Northwest played flawlessly to take a 13-0 lead into halftime. The Bearcats prevented a high-powered Emporia State offense from reaching the end zone.

“We played together, we talked and communicated really well,” said junior defensive end Austen Eskew, who recorded seven tackles, including one sack and two tackles accounted for 14 lost yards. We made a lot of mistakes, but it was the first week.

“Coach Wright, the coach that he is and the person that he is, he looks at every aspect of every play. He comes to practice every day wanting to improve, and he brings that energy to us.”

Remember, a year ago in the season-opener at Emporia State the Hornets held a 7-3 lead after the first quarter.

Emporia State put a brief scare into the Bearcats in the first drive of the game when junior quarterback Marstall Braxton completed a 31-yard pass to Carson Proffitt in the opening series.

Northwest quickly bounced back with two sacks and forced a punt. It took Northwest a few series to get rolling on offense. Late in the first quarter, the Bearcats put together a 12-play, 82-yard drive that resulted in a 20-yard field goal by junior Brett Garner with 2:02 left.

But the play of the first half came less than 3 minutes later when Emporia State set up for a 43-yard field goal. Freshman Samuel Roberts filled the middle and stuck his paw up to block the punt.

Amazingly, the ball settled into the hands of junior Anthony Lane, who raced down the sidelines 69 yards for a touchdown. The score gave Northwest a 10-0 lead with 14:41 left in the second quarter.

The Bearcats turned up their defense in the second quarter, allowing Emporia State one scoring opportunity in the closing seconds until halftime. Northwest stopped a fake field goal attempt as time ran out.

“It all started with preparation in practice,” said Northwest senior safety Edward Richey. “The guys were locked in from the moment we switched over from fall camp to transition into Emporia.

“But we definitely have a lot of things we need to work on. We pitched a shutout, but we didn’t play perfect, by any means. But it was great to shut out a great team like that. It lets us know what we can be.”

Northwest consistently moved the ball in the first half, but was just missed on a couple of big plays and was unable to punch the ball into the end zone when it got inside the 10.

Still, the Bearcats managed to increase its lead to 13-0 on a 21-yard field goal by Garner with 3:37 left in the first half.

Statistically, the game was fairly close. Northwest had 212 yards of total offense compared to 154 yards for Emporia State. But that is a little deceptive because a bulk of the Hornets yards came on two big plays.

“We have been working all summer for moments like this,” Bane said. “We left a couple of plays on the field. We are going to go back to the drawing board and start over again.”

— Northwest Athletics —-

WACO, Texas – The Northwest Missouri State University football team has been ranked first in the 2017 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) preseason poll. The Bearcats received all 34 first place votes ad 850 points, 85 points clear of second place Grand Valley State with 765. Emporia State was ranked fourth with 652 points. Northwest will host the Hornets on Thursday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. in both teams’ season openers.

Central Missouri, who went 9-3 last year, was ranked 21st with 189 points. Pittsburg State received 10 points.

AFCA Preseason Poll
1. Northwest Missouri St.
2. Grand Valley St. (Mich.)
3. Ferris St. (Mich.)
4. Emporia St. (Kan.)
5. Texas A&M-Commerce
6. North Alabama
7. Shepherd (W.Va.)
8. California (Pa.)
9. Indiana (Pa.)
10. Minnesota-Duluth
11. Valdosta St. (Ga.)
12. Colorado St.-Pueblo
13. Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
14. LIU-Post (N.Y.)
15. Harding (Ark.)
16. Colorado School of Mines
17. Sioux Falls (S.D.)
18. Southwest Baptist (Mo.)
19. North Carolina-Pembroke
20. Minnesota St.
21. Central Missouri
22. Southern Arkansas
23. Colorado Mesa
24. Midwestern St. (Texas)
25. Bemidji St. (Minn.)

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University head men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum has announced the Bearcats’ 2017-18 schedule. The slate includes 13 home games and begins with a featured exhibition game at Duke University in Durham, N.C., on Friday, Oct. 27.

“This is by far one of the most difficult schedules I’ve ever had here at Northwest,” said McCollum. “We were able to secure some high-level games against NCAA tournament teams and perennial powers in Division II. The opportunity to play Duke in Cameron Indoor will be an unbelievable experience for our team. I’m also looking for a great turnout from our Kansas City fans when we play Washburn at Municipal Auditorium.”

Fans will get to see the defending national champions take on Metro State in the team’s home opener on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. On Nov. 21, Northwest will face Washburn in a non-MIAA showcase game at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City at 7 p.m.

The Bearcats have also scheduled a neutral site game against Lincoln Memorial University on Tuesday, Dec. 19, in Owensboro, Ky. Last season, Northwest knocked off the Railsplitters, 79-67, in the NCAA National Semifinal in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The MIAA home schedule includes games against Northeastern State (Nov. 30), Central Oklahoma (Dec. 2), Central Missouri (Jan. 11), Southwest Baptist (Jan. 13), Missouri Western (Jan. 27), Lincoln (Feb. 1), Lindenwood (Feb. 3), Pittsburg State (Feb. 15) and Missouri Southern (Feb. 17).

Click here to view entire schedule.

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University head volleyball coach Amy Woerth has announced the Bearcats’ 2017 schedule. The slate includes nine home matches at Bearcat Arena.

Northwest will begin the year on the road, playing in three tournaments. The season starts at the Ferris State Invitational in Big Rapids, Mich., on Friday, Sept. 1. The weekend will include matches against Northern Michigan, Grand Valley State, Davenport and Ferris State. Starting on Sept. 8, the Bearcats head to the Quincy University Tournament to face Quincy, McKendree, Minnesota-Moorhead and Wayne State. Northwest will play a three-day tournament at Arkansas Fort Smith starting on Sept. 14 against Newman, West Florida, Arkansas-Fort Smith and Henderson State. The other lone non-conference match will be on Tuesday, Oct. 31, against Truman State in Kirksville, Mo.

The MIAA home slate includes Southwest Baptist (Sept. 29), Missouri Southern (Sept. 30), Washburn (Oct. 20), Emporia State (Oct. 21), Missouri Western (Oct. 24), Central Missouri (Oct. 27), Lindenwood (Oct. 28), Nebraska-Kearney (Nov. 10) and Fort Hays State (Nov. 11).

Click here for entire schedule.

— Northwest Athletics —