The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team swept Southwest Baptist, 3-0, on Friday evening in Bearcat Arena.

The win moved Northwest to 8-3 on the year and 1-0 in the MIAA. SBU drops to 2-9 overall and 0-1 in conference action.

Northwest held SBU to just eight third-set points. It is the second time this year Northwest has held an opponent in single digits. It was last accomplished against Henderson State in St. Joseph on Sept. 19.

Northwest hit .408 as a team and had held SBU to a -.054 attack percentage.

Maddy Bruder had a match-high nine kills, hitting .438 with nine digs, three blocks and three assists.  Miranda Foster and Jackie Becker each had six kills. Foster had five digs and two blocks. Becker hit .750 for the match with four blocks.

Sarah Dannettell had 27 assists, five kills, four digs and a block, while Aarika Wittenburg had a match-high 10 digs with an assist.

The Bearcats will host Missouri Southern on Saturday night at 6 p.m. in an MIAA contest. Admission to the match is free, following the Family Day weekend football game at 2:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State soccer team fell in Friday’s conference opener on the road at Northeastern State, 4-1.

The Bearcats dropped to 1-3-2 and 0-1 in the conference, while the RiverHawks improved to 6-1 overall and 1-0 in the MIAA.

Elizabeth Finn scored her second goal of the season in the 79th minute.

Ashley Malloy’s 11 saves met her season high (11, Central Missouri, 9/20).

The Bearcats will travel to Edmond, Okla. on Sunday, Sept. 27 for a 1 p.m. first kick against the Central Oklahoma Bronchos.

— Northwest Athletics —

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Northwest Missouri State men’s cross country team is ranked 25th in the week one U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national rankings, as announced by the organization Wednesday. In addition, the Bearcats are ranked fourth in the Central Region rankings.

Northwest is ranked in the nationall polls for the first time since 2012, while 25th is their highest ranking since the 2000 season (21st). The only other MIAA team ranked in the top 25 is Nebraska-Kearney (20th). Three time defending champion Adams State is ranked first after receiving all eight first place votes.

“We are very grateful to be recongized,” said coach Scott Lorek. “We are really looking forward to what this season has in store.”

In the regional rankings, defending champion Augustana tops the list, while cross-town rival Sioux Falls sits behind the Vikings in second place. Nebraska-Kearney rounds out the three teams in front of Northwest.

The Bearcats returned four of their five top scorers from last year’s team that finished 11th at the Central Region Championships. In its first competition of 2015, Northwest finished second behind the Lopers at the Bearcat Open on Sept. 4 in Maryville.

The top five teams at this year’s Central Regional Championships will automatically qualify for the National Championships. Both meets will take place in Joplin, Mo. on the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course. Northwest has not sent a team to the National Championship race since 1998.

Northwest will return to the course this Saturday, Sept. 19 when it competes in the Woody Greeno Invitational, hosted by the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State volleyball team beat Minnesota-Crookston, 3-2, but fell to host Augustana, 3-0, on the first day of the Augustana Showcase in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Friday.

The Bearcats move to 5-1 on the season and will play a pair of NSIC teams Saturday to close out the weekend.

The 5-0 start marks the best opening to a Bearcat volleyball season since 1998 when the team began the year with 6-0 mark. That team went on to finish the year 21-12 overall.

Miranda Foster had a team-best 22 kills in the day’s two matches.

The Bearcats will play Saturday against Minnesota State-Moorhead at noon and Northern State University at 6 p.m. on the final day of the Augustana Showcase in Sioux Falls, S.D.

— Northwest Athletics —

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State soccer team played to a 1-1 draw against Minnesota-Crookston on Friday afternoon in Crookston, Minn.

The Bearcats are now 1-0-2 on the season, while the Golden Eagles improve to 0-1-1.

Elizabeth Lee scored the game-tying goal early in the second half.

Ashley Malloy, last week’s MIAA Goalkeeper of the Week, made a season-high 10 saves in the contest. This was her third double-digit save performance in her career at Northwest.

Northwest took seven shots in the contest while the Golden Eagles attempted 15.

The Bearcats played Friday’s match without head coach Tracy Hoza, who was not available due to a family emergency. The entire Northwest family wishes to express their deepest condolences to coach Hoza on the loss of her mother.

Northwest Missouri State concludes its northern road trip on Sunday when they play Bemidji State. Kick off is scheduled for noon from Bemidji, Minnesota.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State soccer sophomore Ashley Malloy has been named the MIAA Goalkeeper of the Week, as announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon. The Omaha, Neb. native helped the Bearcats finish the opening weekend without a defeat, going 1-0-1 through two matches.

Malloy recorded a total of 11 saves, conceding just one goal for a .917 save percentage. After recording seven saves in Thursday’s double overtime draw against Wayne State, Ashley recorded the seventh shutout of her career on Sunday at Sioux Falls, saving all four shots she faced in the Bearcats’ overtime victory.

The Bearcats are scheduled to return to the pitch this Friday when they head to Minnesota-Crookston for a non-conference match with the Golden Eagles.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State junior runner Nolan Zimmer has been named the MIAA Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week in a release from the league office on Tuesday. The Kearney, Neb. native won season opening Bearcat Open last Friday, Sept. 4 in Maryville.

Zimmer won the 8K race after crossing the finish line in 26:04.9, nearly 12 seconds faster than the second place finisher. Zimmer’s efforts helped Northwest finish second in the event.

The Bearcats will return to the course in two weeks when they compete in the Woody Greeno Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. on Sept. 19.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State soccer team earned its first victory of the season Sunday afternoon, knocking off Sioux Falls 1-0 in overtime at the USF Sports Complex in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Bearcats move to 1-0-1 on the year.

Elizabeth Finn scored the game-winning goal in the 92nd minute, early in the first overtime period.  It’s her first collegiate goal in just her second game at this level. The sophomore spent her freshman season as a part of the Bearcat basketball team.

This is the fifth time in program history that the team has advanced through the opening two games without a defeat.

Goalkeeper Ashley Malloy kept her first clean sheet of the season, making four saves.

The Bearcats controlled possession for much of the contest, taking 18 shots compared to just seven for Sioux Falls. Northwest also took 10 corner kicks while conceding zero to the Cougars.

Northwest will head back out on the road when they play a pair of contests in the state of Minnesota. Northwest will first take the field against Minnesota-Crookston on Friday, Sept. 11 with the opening kick scheduled for 3 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University head women’s basketball coach Michael Smith has announced the Bearcats’ 2015-16 schedule. Northwest will host 14 games inside Bearcat Arena as part of a 28-game regular season schedule. The slate begins on Friday, Nov. 13, at the NCIS/MIAA Challenge in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bearcats will face Augustana on Friday at 6 p.m. followed by a Saturday game against Sioux Falls at 6 p.m.

The home schedule begins on Tuesday, Nov. 18, against Quincy University at 6 p.m. After a road game at Rockhurst on Nov. 21, Northwest returns home to close out the non-conference schedule with Misosuri Valley College (Nov. 24) and the University of Saint Mary (Nov. 30).

Home MIAA contests include Pittsburg State (Dec. 12), Central Oklahoma (Jan. 2), Northeastern State (Jan. 4), Nebraska-Kearney (Jan. 21), Fort Hays State (Jan. 23), Missouri Southern (Jan. 27), Lincoln (Feb. 4), Lindenwood (Feb. 6), Missouri Western (Feb. 20), Emporia State (Feb. 24) and Southwest Baptist (Feb. 27).

Click here to view the entire 2015-2016 schedule.

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University head men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum has announced the Bearcats’ 2015-16 schedule. This year’s slate includes 14 home games inside Bearcat Arena. Northwest has won the past two MIAA regular season championships and has advanced the the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Northwest opens the season on Friday, Nov. 13 against Upper Iowa in St. Joseph, Mo., at 5:30 p.m. The following night in St. Joseph, Northwest takes on Wayne State at 5:30 p.m. A highly anticipated rematch of last season’s NCAA second round takes place on Thursday, Nov. 19, as Northwest travels to Sioux Falls, S.D., to take on Augustana. The Bearcats beat the Aggies, 66-65, who were serving as the NCAA opening round hosts last year.

The Bearcats will play three non-conference games at home against Central Methodist (Nov. 24), Kansas Wesleyan (Nov. 27) and Avila (Dec. 31). MIAA play opens with three road game beginning on Dec. 3 at Southwest Baptist. The MIAA home opener for Northwest will be on Saturday, Dec. 12, against Pittsburg State at 3:30 p.m.

The regular season finale will take place in Maryville, Mo., on Saturday, Feb. 27, against Southwest Baptist at 3:30 p.m. The MIAA Tournament is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, March 1, with the Kansas City, Mo., rounds taking place on March 3-6.

Click on this link for the entire 2015-2016 schedule.

— Northwest Athletics —