UNK Volleyball Reverse Sweeps NW Missouri To Claim MIAA Regular Season

Four players had double digit kills totals to help fourth-ranked Nebraska Kearney reverse sweep Northwest Missouri State (20-25, 22-25, -15, -17, -7) Friday night in Maryville.

With its first reverse sweep in five years, the Lopers (28-1, 15-1) secure the 2024 MIAA regular season title outright. It’s their first regular season crown since 2019 and the program’s seventh (two shared and five outright) overall.

On Thursday, UNK rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat Missouri Western in five. Tonight, against a Bearcats team (14-11, 8-7) that was off on Thursday, the Lopers found themselves in a rare 2-0 hole. Northwest used six team blocks, three aces and 34 kills to take each of the first two sets. They never trailed in the first set and closed the second on a 6-3 run. 

The Loper offense was led by junior middle Abby Rose (Lindsborg, Kan.) early on and then the rest of the team caught up. UNK hit .325 in the fourth (16-3-40) and then .391 in the fifth (11-2-23). Over the final three sets, the Lopers trailed only in the early going and scored six of the first seven points in the fifth. 

Rose had 11 of her 13 kills over the first two sets with sophomore middle Mia Berg (Eureka, Mo.) having 11 of her team-high 17 in sets three through five. The duo both hit over .330 and combined for eight blocks that included five solo stuffs by Berg. On the outside, junior Emile Lane (Hays, Kan.) tallied 15 kills with senior Asha Regier (Newton, Kan.) at 14. They combined for eight kills in the fifth set and added five solo blocks on the night.

In the backrow, libero Alli Wiese (Mattawan, Mich.) had 33 digs with right side Lauren Taubenheim (Lincoln Pius) at 16 and DS Addyson Mock (Stilwell, Kan.) providing 15. Finally, setter Payton Neff (North Platte) had 57 assists, 12 digs, three kills, two blocks.

Northwest was led by senior libero Kyah Luhring (38 digs), senior middle Abby Brunssen (15 kills, .324 pct., four blocks), and freshman outside Abby Bulthuis (13 kills).

The brackets for the eight-team MIAA Tournament next weekend in St. Joseph will be released on Saturday after the completion of the regular season.