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After 11 weeks of regular season play, the 2012 volleyball postseason has finally arrived, as the 13th-ranked Truman volleyball team opens up MIAA tournament play this Tuesday night by hosting Emporia State.

The Bulldogs and Hornets represent the 4/5 matchup on the eight-team bracket.
 
Truman (27-5, 15-3 MIAA) will face Emporia for the second time in five days, as the Hornets were the first of two teams dispatched in five sets by the Bulldogs on the road last weekend.

The ‘Dogs followed similar scripts throughout both matches until the fifth sets, winning both the first and third while losing the second and fourth.

However, on Friday night, Truman used a 3-0 spurt to break a 12-all tie at ESU and win 15-12 before jumping all over Northwest 10-1 on Saturday night en route to a 15-5 decision.
 
On the season, Truman is hitting a collective .243 as a team, third-best in the MIAA, while averaging 13.5 kills per set.

Headlining those numbers are a pair of the conference’s elite attackers in sophomore OH Allie Brak and senior MH Megan Sharpe.

Brak leads the MIAA at 3.77 kills per set, while Sharpe ranks third in hitting (.343), seventh in kills (3.12/set) and second in blocks (1.25/set).
 
Freshman OPP Abby Heise continues to build her case for MIAA Freshman of the Year, ranking ninth in the powerful league in hitting percentage (.296), including a 2.62 kills/set and .355% mark in conference play.

Fellow freshman OH Ali Patterson sits third on the team in total kills (243) and is averaging 2.17 per set.
 
Sophomore S Meghan Zimmerman has piloted the attack behind 10.57 assists per set, while also ranking third on the squad at 2.74 digs per frame.

Controlling the back line is fellow freshman Abby Moser, whose 4.31 digs per set leads the purple and white.

Senior MH Emily Briseno checks in at 1.57 kills and 0.81 blocks per set, putting her above the two points per set mark.
 
The Bulldogs are coached by Ben Briney, who, in his fourth season at the helm, has compiled an overall record of 96-40.

Courtesy Truman State University