LIBERTY, Mo. - The William Jewell volleyball team is in action for the first time this season as they travel across the state line to the Washburn Invitational where they will take on four opponents.
ADMISSION 🎟
🟢 Spectators are permitted but
tickets must be purchased in advance. No day-of ticketing will be available.
🎟
Tickets
BROADCAST 🎥
• None
LIVE STATS 📊
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Friday vs. Northern State
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Friday vs. Cameron
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Saturday vs. Colorado-Colorado Springs
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Saturday vs. Minot State
CARDINAL NOTES
- The Cardinals are coming off a spring season that saw them lose one of their top players to injury early, combined with the largest freshman class under Coach Carolyn Beck since 2015 on top of the already unusual year due to COVID-19. This contributed to a 1-19 overall mark, 1-17 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Jewell played Quincy in two non-conference matchups, but the abbreviated spring schedule consisted entirely of GLVC opponents.
- This year's recruiting class is again larger than in recent years with six new faces joining the Cardinal ranks. Katy Garrison and Grace Meadows will battle for position on the right side while Chloe Robison and Bella LaPorta are the lone newcomers in the middle and outside, respectively. Meanwhile twins McKinzie and Samantha Thompson will help solidify the back line and setting core.
- Paityn Hardison played in just 20 sets last spring before suffering a season ending injury. The Colorado native is back to a full-time role on the outside, looking to make up for lost time. Before being sidelined in the spring she was hitting a career best .210 with 3.00 kills per set to lead the team.
- The back line should once again be a strength for the Cardinals with the return of three letterwinners, Haidan Baade, Jordan Collard and Kaci Behrens along with the addition of the freshman Thompson. Baade led the squad and was sixth in the GLVC with 4.71 digs per set, including a single match record 40 against Maryville. Collard followed with 2.59 per set while Behrens added 1.84 as all three appeared in more than 100 sets.
- Graduation took four seniors from the Cardinals, most notably in the middle as four-year starter and NCAA era blocks leader Elizabeth Quinn departed after a superb career, averaging nearly one block per set and totaling more than 325 over four seasons. With a changing of the guard, Jewell will look to four players to help fill the gap including sophomore Jorey Luebbert who gained valuable experience in the spring and boasted 0.82 blocks per set. Tatum Ernt didn't see much time last spring with a veteran middle core, but the junior is expected to see an increased role this fall. Robison joins the ranks after a standout career at Manhattan High School (Kan.) while senior Lily Johnson, who played the position as a freshman, is also expected to provide veteran leadership in the middle.
- Similarly, to their teammates in the middle, the right side will be young for the first time in a long time, following the graduation of Maddie Wingert who accumulated 831 kills, third most in the NCAA era, over 348 sets. Johnson made the move to the right as a sophomore and has seen increased time there over the last two years, including 38 sets last season, averaging 1.74 kills. However, with the senior needed in the middle, the right side will likely see a combination of LaPorta, Garrison and Meadows.
- The Cardinals were picked fourth in the GLVC West Division, one point ahead of Southwest Baptist. Missouri S&T, Lewis and Missouri-St. Louis were selected to win the West, East and Central Divisions respectively.
- The head coach for the Cardinals underwent a change in the offseason as she was married on July 2. The now Carolyn Beck is in her eighth season at the helm of the Cardinal program.
ABOUT NORTHERN STATE
- Northern State enters the 2021 season at No. 15 in the national rankings despite having not played since the 2019 season, when they won their second straight NSIC championship. The entire 2020-21 NSIC schedule was canceled last year due to COVID-19.
- After losing key seniors from last year's team, now-senior Sally Gaul and her 3.02 kills per set as a sophomore is the top offensive returner for the Wolves. The outside hit an impressive .242 over 105 sets two years ago.
- Laura Ochsner and Bry Goar are the most experienced returners along the back row, appearing in 72 and 28 sets, respectively, in 2019.
- As a team, the Wolves were superb offensively during their most recent season, hitting .285 with nearly 15 kills per set.
- Defensively, Northern State puts up over 16 digs per set while blocking two attacks on average.
- Brent Aldridge enters his 11th season at the helm, having built Northern State into a powerhouse, competing in the tough NSIC. A native of Iowa, Aldridge has a metro connection, have been the head coach at St. Mary from 1999-2000.
ABOUT CAMERON
- Cameron University, of the Lone Star Conference, is coming off a 2-10 abbreviated spring season.
- During that time, they hit .124 as a team and held opponents to a .193 clip.
- Blocking is a strong point for the Aggies, posting 2.0 per set led by sophomore Caitlyn Henderson's 1.24. The Texas native, had at least three blocks in five of seven matches played in the spring.
- Alanni Carter leads the offense with 2.98 kills per set on a .134 kill while Arianna Navarrete is not far behind with 2.61 kills per set.
- Desiree Marmolejo runs the offense to the tune of 5.13 assists per set as the Aggies average just over 10 kills.
- On the back line Presley Shearin is back after averaging 4.03 digs per set, second best on the team.
- The Aggies are led by third year head man, Brandon Stephenson who came to Cameron from Barton Community College where he coached five NJCAA All-Americans.
