The Truman volleyball team heads to its fourth and final Invitational of the season this weekend when the Bulldogs head to Russellville, Ark., for four matches in two days at Arkansas Tech University.
The Bulldogs (10-8) will face future MIAA-foe Lindenwood (Mo.) University and Sioux Falls (S.D.) on Friday, Oct. 14, before taking on Henderson (Ark.) State and host ATU on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Truman is coming off a 1-2 week of MIAA play, seeing its record move to 2-4 overall in the conference through six matches.
The ’Dogs opened the week with a three-set loss to then-No. 8 Central Missouri on Wednesday (Oct. 5) night before splitting five-set weekend matches with Northwest Missouri (Oct. 7, loss) and Missouri Western (Oct. 8, win).
For the week, junior Megan Sharpe and senior Molly Sinclair became the first Bulldogs to put down 20-kills in a match, as Sharpe totaled 20 against NWMSU and Sinclair added 20 against MWSU.
Sharpe finished her week with 2.92 kills/set and a .346 hitting percentage, while Sinclair and freshman Allie Brak both put up more than two kills per set on the outside. Freshman libero Abby Moser posted 6.31 digs per set.
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Kristy Bayer is in her 8th season at ATU, following a successful playing career at Grand Valley State from 1997-2000. The Bulldogs are a perfect 7-0 all time against ATU, including a 3-0 sweep the last time the teams met in October 2006.
Always up for a Challenge:
Truman has played five teams that were ranked in the top-25 at the time of the match and 12 teams who currently sport a .500 record or above through the first 18 matches of the season.\
The upcoming seven matches gives the team a bit of a breather on paper, however, with six coming against teams below .500.
Middle Blockers Living Up to Name:
Junior Megan Sharpe is up to 294 career blocks, good for 10th all-time in Truman history.
In addition, she sits just five back of former Bulldog Lisa Weber in solo blocks, who put down 67 in her three years at Truman.
Sharpe also cracked the top-ten in block assists this weekend, reaching 232 to sit just three back of Janelle Zehr (1997-2000).
Fellow junior Emily Briseno is one back of Sharpe in the solo block category with 61.
Brak Hitting the Gas:
Freshman outside hitter Allie Brak has recorded eight double-doubles this season, including six in her last eight matches. In the past six matches, Brak is averaging 2.81 kills per set, 3.50 digs per set, has 12 service aces, and is hitting .196.
Moser on Record-Setting Pace:
Freshman libero Abby Moser is on pace for more than 725 digs this season, which would be the all-time single-season best by any Bulldog in program history.
Through 18 matches, she’s averaging 5.61 digs/set and more than 21 digs/match with 12 matches of 20 or more digs.
She is already ninth all-time in program history with 20+ dig matches and was the first freshman to have 30+ digs in a match when she put up 37 against Minnesota State on Sept. 9.
Courtesy Truman State University
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