Date: November 2, 2009
Contact: Paula Wiedemann, Head Coach
Grizzly Volleybal Office
417-255-7950

    WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team will go for its 11th consecutive Region 16 title this weekend when it hosts the Region 16 Championship Volleyball Tournament at the West Plains Civic Center.
    Tickets to the tournament are $5 per person each day; children age six and younger will be admitted free.
    The Grizzlies, ranked eighth in the nation with a 23-8 record, will enter the two-day event as the tournament’s first seed.  Second-seeded Jefferson College, Hillsboro, Mo., will meet third-seeded Mineral Area College, Park Hills, Mo., in the tournament semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6.  The winner of that match will meet the Grizzlies at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, in the tournament finals.
    The region champion will compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Women’s National Volleyball Championship Tournament Nov. 19-21 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
    The Grizzlies closed out the regular season Friday, Oct. 30, when they defeated Lake Land College, Mattoon, Ill., 25-15, 25-19, 25-9 at the West Plains Civic Center in a match that was hosted by Ozarks Medical Center.
    “What a great way to end the regular season,” Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said.  “I’ve been telling them all season they need to improve on taking better care of the ball and make some good things happen out of some bad (situations).  We’ve been doing a lot of things in practice to help with that.  I’m happy to see us doing some things at this point in the season that we need to be doing.  We need to keep that going into the post season.”
    Sophomore middle attacker Kate Stepanova led the Grizzlies’ offensive attack with 14 kills on 30 attempts with one error for an attacking percentage of .433.  She also had one ace, 16 digs and 15 points earned.  Sophomore middle attacker Danielle Parker followed with 9 kills on 14 attempts with one error for an attacking percentage of .571.  She also had 12 points earned.  From the service line, the Grizzlies were led by redshirt freshman Sabina Papala, who had three aces.  Freshman setter Lia Havili led the team in assists with 17.
    Defensively, the Grizzlies were led at the net by Papala, Parker and sophomore right side attacker Lindsey Hale, all of whom had three blocks.  Both Parker and Hale had one solo block apiece.  Stepanova led the team in digs with 16, followed closely by sophomore setter/outside attacker Patricia Figueiredo, who had 14.
    For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball program, visit the team’s Web site at http://www.websightmaster.com/grizzly/.