Lady Grizzlies take 2nd in tourney

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly volleyball team kicked off the 2007 season this weekend with a second place finish in the Molten Classic Tournament on the Iowa Western Community College campus in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The Lady Grizzlies (6-1) were kept from taking the tournament crown by defending National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II champion Kishwaukee (Ill.) Community College.  Kishwaukee defeated the Lady Grizzlies 25-30, 28-30 in Saturday’s championship match.

“For this early, I’m pretty happy with the way we played,” Lady Grizzly Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight said of her team’s efforts during the two-day event.  “We are inconsistent and a little inexperienced in our attacking positions, but the girls played hard and did a good job.”

Knight praised the tournament’s champions, pointing out Kishwaukee’s size and experience made the difference.  “They are huge!  They have three players over 6-3, and they also have a great setter.  They have a great team,” she said.

It also didn’t help that freshman outside attacker Lacey Luttrull of Bedford, Texas, was injured after the team’s first match on Friday when she attempted to deflect a loose ball back to another team during pregame warm-ups.  The injury kept her sidelined during the rest of the tournament, and Knight said Luttrull may not be able to return for six weeks.

“I think we would have had a better chance of winning the tournament if Lacey hadn’t been injured,” Knight said.

Even so, the Lady Grizzlies turned in a good performance in their first outing of the season, defeating Southwestern Iowa 30-16, 30-28; Iowa Lakes 30-11, 28-30, 15-7; Lake Land College 30-27, 30-19; and Sioux Falls 30-19, 30-17 on Friday in pool play.  On Saturday, they handed Indian Hills a 30-21, 30-18 loss and defeated Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College 30-28, 30-25 to reach the championship match.

Sophomore middle attacker Patricia Gandolfo, Porto Alegre, Brazil, and sophomore libero Rachel Warrington, Lake St. Louis, Mo., received all-tournament team honors.  Gandolfo recorded a team-leading 57 kills and an attacking percentage of .422 for the tournament, and Warrington had a team-leading 72 digs in the event.

In addition to Gandolfo and Warrington, Knight praised the efforts of sophomore middle attacker Brittney Herzog, Boonville, and sophomore outside attacker Lauren Noble, Springfield.  “Pat and Brittney both played very well, and Brittney also blocked well,” the coach said.  “And, Lauren came in and played for Lacey on the outside and did a good job.”

Herzog racked up 14 blocks and 10 service aces during the tournament, leading the team in both categories.

In addition to Luttrull’s six-week absence, the Lady Grizzlies may have to play without freshman Victoria Castleman, Houston, all year due to a recurring hip injury.  “I’m not sure if she will be able to play all year.  We may redshirt her,” Knight said.  Castleman did not play in the tournament.

Missouri State-West Plains will open its Region 16 season with a trip to Sedalia, Mo., Wednesday, Aug. 29.  There, they will meet the State Fair Community College Roadrunners in a 6:30 p.m. contest.

Lady Grizzlies improve record to 7-1

SEDALIA, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly volleyball team raised its season record to 7-1 Wednesday night, Aug. 29, with a 30-18, 30-17, 30-28 win over Region 16 rival State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo.

“State Fair has a nice team,” Lady Grizzly Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight said.  “They are tall, athletic and don’t give up.  They will give people a run for their money.”

The Lady Roadrunners proved Knight’s statement in the match’s third game when they kept pace with Missouri State-West Plains until the end.

“They hung in there, but we managed to pull it out.  We didn’t run out of gas because we have a lot of depth.  We just didn’t execute very well early in the game,” Knight explained.  “We’re pretty strong all the way around, and for the most part, everybody played pretty well.”

Sophomore middle attacker Patricia Gandolfo led the Lady Grizzlies offensively with 17 kills and an attacking percentage of .577.  Fellow sophomore middle attacker Brittney Herzog wasn’t far behind with 12 kills and an attacking percentage of .556.

“They both played well,” Knight said.  “And our setter, Amanda Kuhn, also played pretty well.  She is still learning to play with her hitters, but for the most part, she is doing a pretty good job.”  The freshman from Porto Alegre, Brazil, had 31 assists.

Defensively, the Lady Grizzlies were led by sophomore libero Rachel Warrington, who had a team-leading 16 digs.  Herzog and Kuhn added 11 apiece.  Herzog also had two service aces.

PRESEASON POLL

Earlier this week, the Lady Grizzlies learned they had been ranked No. 2 by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in its Division I Women’s preseason poll.  Sitting atop the poll is last year’s national tournament winner, Iowa Western Community College of Council Bluffs.  Frank Phillips College of Borger, Texas, was third on the list, followed by No. 4 Salt Lake Community College of Salt Lake City, Utah, and No. 5 Western Nebraska Community College of Scottsbluff.  Region 16 arch rival Jefferson College of Hillsboro, Mo., is No. 8.  The complete poll can be viewed at the NJCAA’s website, www.njcaa.org.

Next up for the Lady Grizzlies is the Sterling Invitational Tournament Sept. 7-8 at Las Vegas, Nev.  Hosted by Salt Lake Community College, the two-day event will feature 12 teams representing the NJCAA, the Community College League of California (CCLA) and the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC).

The Lady Grizzlies’ first home match will be Thursday, Sept. 13, against Jefferson College.  Match time is 6 p.m. at the West Plains Civic Center arena.

Lady Grizzlies tie for 3rd at Las Vegas tournament

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzlies (10-3) won three of its five matches at the Sterling Volleyball Invitational Tournament Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7-8, in Las Vegas, Nev., finishing third in the 12-team event.

“We won our first three matches and lost the last two,” Lady Grizzly Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight said today in recapping the action.  “I hate losing, but I’m glad when it happens early in the season because it shows us the things we need to work on so we can fix them.”

Hosted by Salt Lake Community College from Salt Lake City, Utah, the tournament featured teams from three community college associations – the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), the Community College League of California (CCLC) and the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC).

In their first match, Missouri State-West Plains defeated Edmunds (Wash.) Community College out of the NWAACC 30-18, 30-19, then followed that up with victories over NJCAA-affiliated Western Wyoming Community College of Rock Springs 30-23, 21-30, 15-11, and the CCLC’s Pierce College of Los Angeles 30-27, 30-27.  But in the semifinals against fellow NJCAA competitor Snow College of Ephraim, Utah, the Lady Grizzlies faltered, falling 29-31, 30-23, 16-18.

 “We started off well against Edmund, and played well against a good Pierce team and a decent Western Wyoming team, but Snow was able to beat us,” Knight said.  “We were inconsistent, and our kids were a little careful.  We need to learn to be more aggressive in our play in rally scoring.”

The team also was adjusting to the temporary loss of freshman attacker Lacey Luttrull, injured in the first match of the season, and the addition of newcomer Monika Kasperek of Bielsko Biala, Poland, which affected the Lady Grizzlies’ playing lineups.

“We’re not flowing yet.  We have so many options because we have so much talent.  We just have to learn who fits best into our different rotations and what rotations work best in certain situations,” Knight said.

In the semifinals, the Lady Grizzlies faced NWAACC’s Mount Hood Community College from Gresham, Ore.  After faltering in the match’s first two games, Missouri State-West Plains fought back to win the next two, but they fell victim to a scrappy Mount Hood team in the final game to lose 26-30, 31-33, 30-22, 30-25, 12-15.

“We got into a situation in the semis where we went up against very tough defensive team that fought for every point,” Knight said.  “In their previous game, Mount Hood couldn’t do anything right.  But they’re scrappy, and they had one of those matches where everything fell in the right place against us.  Balls that normally would have fallen to the floor, they were able to reach.  They were a good defensive team.

 “After this past weekend, we know what we need to do on defense,” Knight continued.  “Once we get that fixed, our offense will come together.”

One tournament bright spot was the selection of sophomore middle attacker Brittney Herzog to the all-tournament team.  The Boonville native recorded a total of 47 kills, 38 digs, 11 blocks (3 solos), two aces and 60 points earned for the event.

The Lady Grizzlies have three days to fix their defense and their rotations before Region 16 arch rival Jefferson College, Hillsboro, Mo., comes to town for Missouri State-West Plains’ home opener.  Match time is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, in the West Plains Civic Center arena.

The contest will lead into the Lady Grizzlies’ first home tournament of the season, the Ozarks Medical Center/Air Evac Lifeteam Tournament of Champions Friday and Saturday, Sept. 14-15, at the civic center.  In addition to the Grizzlies, the tournament will feature Miami-Dade College, Miami, Fla.; Blinn College, Brenham, Texas; Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College; Jefferson College; Lake Land College, Mattoon, Ill.; Northwest-Shoals Community College, Muscle Shoals, Ala.; and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.  The Lady Grizzlies will play at 2 and 6 p.m. each day.

Lady Grizzlies defeat Jefferson

WEST PLAINS, Mo. – It may have taken five games to do it, but the Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzlies accomplished their goal of beating Region 16 arch rival Jefferson College Thursday night, Sept. 13, in the West Plains Civic Center.

The final tally was 30-22, 30-15, 28-30, 29-31, 15-5, which raises the Lady Grizzlies’ season record to 11-3.

“It was a good win, a good team effort,” Lady Grizzly Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight said today.  “Jefferson is a good team.  We’re not going to take anything away from their effort.  They did a good job.”

For the first time since the first match of the season on Aug. 24 when freshman outside attacker Lacey Luttrull was injured, Missouri State-West Plains had all of its starters on the floor, and it gave Knight a good sense of what her team can do.

“Early in the match, we were doing a good job on the block and Rachel (Warrington) was digging balls.  We had really found a rhythm,” the coach said.  Although they faltered in the third and fourth games, the Lady Grizzlies regained that rhythm in the fifth game to put the match away.

Knight said she was especially pleased with her team’s passing rating for the contest.  “We had four passers at 2.7 or above on a 3.0 scale.  That’s a big change from last year.  We were passing nails, which was great,” she said.  Those four were Warrington, Luttrull, and sophomore middle attackers Brittney Herzog and Patricia Gandolfo.

The Lady Grizzlies also had five hitters in double figures in kills.  Leading the charge were Gandolfo and freshman outside hitter Amanda Robertson each with 18.  Luttrull added 12 in her return to the court, and Herzog and freshman outside attacker Monika Kasperek each had 10.

“Amanda had only one error, which is phenomenal for a freshman, and she also had the highest hitting percentage among the five hitters with .460,” Knight said.

Robertson also had six blocks, co-leading the team in that category with Kasperek.  “Monika is becoming more comfortable in our system, and I think she’ll continue to get better,” Knight said of the latest addition to the team.

Warrington led the team in digs with 30, and Gandolfo recorded a team high 23 points earned.

“We’d like to thank Air Evac Lifeteam for sponsoring the match,” Knight said.  “They did a wonderful job and had some great promotions for our fans.”

The contest gave the Lady Grizzlies a good boost in confidence as they prepare to host this weekend’s Ozarks Medical Center/Air Evac Lifeteam Tournament of Champions at the civic center.  In addition to the Grizzlies and Jefferson, the event features Miami-Dade College of Florida, Blinn College of Brenham, Texas, Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, Lake Land College from Mattoon, Ill., Northwest-Shoals Community College from Muscle Shoals, Ala., and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.  Matches begin at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 14, and Saturday, Sept. 15, with the Lady Grizzlies playing in the 2 and 6 p.m. matches each day.

“This tournament is going to tell us a lot about who’s where in the national picture,” Knight said.  “We’re looking forward to it.”

Lady Grizzlies go 2-2 in tournament

WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Trish Kissiar-Knight predicted the Ozarks Medical Center/Air Evac Lifeteam Tournament of Champions would tell her a lot about her Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly volleyball team and the national competition, and she was right.

The two-day tournament, held this past weekend at the West Plains Civic Center, revealed perennial national power Miami-Dade College of Florida is back to its dominating ways, and it’s going to take the Lady Grizzlies (13-5) a lot of hard work and dedication to reach that same level.

Miami-Dade and Blinn College of Brenham, Texas, posted the best records in the event at 4-0, tying for first place.  Second went to University of Arkansas-Fort Smith with a 3-1 record.  The Lady Grizzlies placed third with a 2-2 record.  Jefferson College of Hillsboro, Mo., Lake Land College of Mattoon, Ill., and Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College tied for fourth with 1-3 records, and Northwest-Shoals Community College of Muscle Shoals, Ala., placed fifth with an 0-4 record.

“Miami has always had a strong program, but this year’s team is more like the ones that dominated and won the national tournament several years ago,” said Knight.  “They’re a great team.  I haven’t seen Western Nebraska (ranked No. 1 in the nation) yet, but Miami is the team to beat this year, in my opinion.”

Prior to the Lady Grizzlies’ match with Miami Saturday evening, Knight said, Assistant Coach Paula Wiedemann told the players, “Don’t stand back and watch them play.”  But that’s exactly what the Grizzlies did in their 22-30, 24-30, 22-30 loss.  “Our kids were stunned.  They (Miami) were big, and they knew how to put the ball down,” Knight said.

The Lady Grizzlies started the tournament on winning notes Friday, defeating Northwest-Shoals 30-20, 30-22, 22-30, 30-17 and Hutchinson 30-18, 24-30, 30-21, 30-24.  But, they faltered on Saturday when they lost to Blinn 30-32, 18-30, 17-30 then Miami.  “We played well on Friday, but Saturday we saw what exceptional really is,” Knight said.  “We had Blinn in the first game, but we let them come back and beat us.  We didn’t put the game away, then we panicked in the other two games and lost the match.  That’s one of our biggest problems right now.  If we would have won that first game, I think we would have been in a battle.  Instead, we struggled the rest of the way.”

Inconsistency and injuries also are affecting the Lady Grizzlies.  “What’s so disappointing is that we had a freshman who had a breakout performance against Jefferson Thursday night, but she had to be pulled from the lineup because of a recurring foot injury,” Knight explained.  “We haven’t had the same lineup for a match this year because of injuries.  And, that’s one of the reasons we’re so inconsistent right now.  It’s going to be a while before we get on track.  The potential is there, but we’re going to have to see if the kids are tough enough to continue the tradition we’ve built here.”

Two Lady Grizzlies, sophomore libero Rachel Warrington and sophomore middle attacker Brittney Herzog, were named to the all-tournament team.  They were joined by MVP selection Yesenia Roman, Paola Ampudia and Deyla Caceres, all of Miami-Dade; Lina Vanegas, Stefanie Robbins and Caroline Witte, all of Blinn; Hanna Valli and Jenny Naramore of the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith; Ludmila Amaral of Hutchinson; and Becky Mann of Jefferson.

“Rachel had a good tournament.  She has great leadership, and she’s passing and digging balls really well.  She’s doing a great job,” Knight said.  “Brittney’s very talented.  She led us in points earned for the tournament.”

Herzog scored 69 points for the Lady Grizzlies.  She also had 47 kills, a team-leading 22 blocks and 42 digs.  Warrington led the team in digs with 84.  Sophomore middle attacker Patricia Gandolfo led the team in kills with 48, and freshman setter Amanda Kuhn led the team in assists with 167 and in service aces with seven.

“We’d like to thank our tournament sponsors, Ozarks Medical Center and Air Evac Lifeteam,” Knight said.  “Without their support, we wouldn’t be able to host a tournament like this with so many exceptional teams from across the country.”

The Lady Grizzlies’ next match is Tuesday, Sept. 18, when they host Region 16 rival Mineral Area College in a 6 p.m. contest at the civic center.  Physical Therapy Specialists Clinic is sponsoring the match.

Lady Grizzlies up record to 14-5

            WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly volleyball team added another mark to the win column Tuesday night, Sept. 18, when they defeated the Mineral Area College Lady Cardinals 30-17, 30-13, 30-16 at the West Plains Civic Center.

The win over the Region 16 rival ups the Lady Grizzlies’ record to 14-5.

“We concentrated on doing things right last night,” Lady Grizzly Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight said.  “We worked on getting our communication better which has been a huge, huge problem.  Also, everybody got to play, which is good.”

Everyone played well, Knight said, but she did single out sophomore middle attackers Patricia Gandolfo and Brittney Herzog, freshman outside attacker Monika Kasperek and sophomore libero Rachel Warrington for their play.  Gandolfo and Herzog co-led the team in kills with 12 each, and Kasperek added seven.  Gandolfo recorded a team-leading six blocks, followed by Kasperek with five and Herzog with four.  Warrington led the team defensively with 13 digs.

Nagging injuries continue to haunt the Lady Grizzlies, Knight said.  “Our team is young, and we have a lot of freshmen.  They are not used to this type of pounding on their bodies,” she explained.

But they will try to get healthy enough to face the Lake Land College Lakers at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, in Mattoon, Ill.  The Lady Grizzlies’ next home match will be Oct. 2 when East Central College from Union, Mo., comes to West Plains for a 6 p.m. contest that will be sponsored by Adams Construction.

Injuries plague Lady Grizzlies in loss to Lake Land

MATTOON, Ill. – Injuries continue to plague the Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzlies, and they cost the team a victory Friday evening, Sept. 21, against Lake Land College in Mattoon, Ill.

The Lady Grizzlies fell to Lake Land 22-30, 28-30, 30-26, 30-21, 12-15, dropping their season record to 14-6.

“We’re still looking for the right lineup, but it’s hard to get any consistency at all right now because of all the injuries,” Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight said.  “I knew we had our backs to the wall going into the match with Amanda (Robertson) and Lacey (Luttrull) out with injuries.”

Not only was Knight missing the two freshman attackers, she also was without freshman setter Amanda Kuhn for part of the match due to injury, and sophomore middle attacker Brittney Herzog rushed to the sideline on several occassions because of an upset stomach.  “It was just one of those nights,” Knight said.

The Lady Grizzlies who were on the court made several errors, as well.  “We’re still making wrong decisions.  We were up 28-26 in the second game, then we messed up that lead really bad.  We had 13 serving errors in the match, and that was a killer,” Knight said.  “We’re still having trouble closing out games, too.”

Sophomore middle attacker Patricia Gandolfo led the Lady Grizzlies in three categories with her 16 kills, 10 blocks and 27 points earned.  Despite her illness, Herzog was able to add 13 kills, five blocks and 19 points earned.  And, in limited action, Kuhn recorded 49 assists.

After a great practice Sunday, Knight is hoping the Lady Grizzlies can get back in the win column tonight when they face Region 16 rival Mineral Area College in a 6:30 p.m. match at Park Hills, Mo.  “We have the potential to do some great things, but we need to get past these injuries,” the coach said.

The team is scheduled to participate in the Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College Invitational Friday and Saturday, Sept. 28 and 29, then the Lady Grizzlies will return to West Plains to host East Central College in a 6 p.m. contest Tuesday, Oct. 2, at the West Plains Civic Center.  The Oct. 2 match will be sponsored by Adams Construction in West Plains.

Lady Grizzlies return to the win column

PARK HILLS, Mo. – Despite injuries, the Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly volleyball team returned to the win column Monday night, Sept. 24, when it defeated Region 16 rival Mineral Area College 30-16, 30-26, 30-26 in Park Hills, Mo.

The victory ups the Lady Grizzlies’ season record to 15-6.

Lady Grizzly Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight was pleased with the win, but she admitted to being concerned about future matches because of the recurring injuries her players are suffering.  “We left Lacey (Luttrull) home to get an MRI on her elbow, and Amanda (Robertson) is still having trouble with a foot, so our two freshman outside hitters are down,” Knight said.  “That means we will have to find others to step up.  It’s hard finding the right lineup.  Some girls may have to play in positions they aren’t used to.  I’m hoping Sasha Bondje and Monika Kasperek will step up.”

In the meantime, sophomore middle attacker Patricia Gandolfo is doing what she can to keep the Lady Grizzlies on track.  She led the team in kills with 27, attacking percentage with .692 and points earned with 30.  “Pat was tremendous,” the coach said.  “She averaged nine kills per game, and what’s incredible is that she had no errors.  She almost hit .700.  That’s a really good performance.”

Sophomore middle attacker Brittney Herzog, who is still recovering from illness that affected her play last week, added to the effort defensively with 19 digs.  “She had a great defensive night,” Knight said.

Knight is hoping her team will be on the mend later this week when they travel to Hutchinson, Kan., for the Tyson Invitational.  “We will have three tough matches against Barton County, Northeastern Junior College of Colorado and Iowa Western.  We also will play Colby (Kan.), but I don’t know much about them,” she said.

The Lady Grizzlies will start the two-day event with a 3 p.m. match Friday, Sept. 28, against Barton, then face Colby later that day at 7 p.m.  They will face Northeastern at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, and Iowa Western at 2 p.m.

The Lady Grizzlies will return to West Plains to host East Central College in a 6 p.m. contest Tuesday, Oct. 2, at the West Plains Civic Center.  The Oct. 2 match will be sponsored by Adams Construction in West Plains.

Lady Grizzlies struggle at Kansas tournament

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The list of injured players among the ranks of Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzlies grew by one this past weekend when the team competed in the Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College Invitational.

Sophomore middle attacker Patricia Gandolfo, who had been leading the Lady Grizzlies’ offensive attack this season, went down with a deep muscle bruise in the team’s first match of the event.  Hampered by yet another injury, the Lady Grizzlies dropped three of their four matches at the tournament and came home with a 16-9 record.

“We lost Pat in the third game of our first match,” Lady Grizzly Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight said.  She explained the injury occured when Gandolfo and freshman defensive specialist Trezha Malam ran into each other while playing a point against Barton County Community College, Great Bend, Kan.  The injury forced Gandolfo to remain on the bench for the rest of the tournament, and team officials don’t know when she will be able to return to action, Knight said.

“We didn’t have our outside hitters (freshmen Amanda Robertson and Lacey Luttrull) because of injuries, so with Pat going down, it really hurt us,” Knight said.  “Some of our girls are having to play other positions, so I hope this will make us stronger in the long run.”

The Lady Grizzlies lost that first match to Barton 25-30, 17-30, 24-30, but they came back to defeat Colby (Kan.) Community College 24-30, 30-25, 30-28. 29-31, 15-11 on Friday, Sept. 28.  Saturday, Sept. 29, they fell to Northeastern Junior College of Sterling, Colo., 26-30, 30-27, 29-31, 30-27, 15-17 then lost to the tournament’s champion, Iowa Western Community College of Council Bluffs, 16-30, 26-30, 25-30.

“We gave Iowa Western a pretty good run in the second and third games, which is a good sign,” Knight said.

The coach praised freshman Kelsye Hall for her efforts in the outside attacker position.  “She had a good tournament and led us in kills in the first match with seven, and she was pretty consistent in the other matches,” Knight said.

Freshman attacker Monika Kasperek was placed in Gandolfo’s position after she went down, Knight said, “and she did a pretty good job, for the most part.  Brittney (Herzog) also played well.  She is pretty solid.”

For the tournament, Herzog led the Lady Grizzlies in kills with 67, attacking percentage with .483, blocks with 16 and points earned with 87.  She and sophomore libero Rachel Warrington each had four service aces, as well.  Warrington led the team in digs with 73 and recorded a passing rating of .266 to lead the Lady Grizzlies in that category, as well.

Iowa Western posted a 4-0 record for the tournament.  The host team, Hutchinson, went 3-1, San Jacinto College of Pasadena, Texas, was 2-2, the Lady Grizzlies and Region 16 arch rival Jefferson College of Hillsboro, Mo., each went 1-3, and Colby was 0-4.

The Lady Grizzlies return home for a match at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, against East Central College of Union, Mo., in the West Plains Civic Center arena.  Adams Construction of West Plains is sponsoring the contest.

Lady Grizzlies defeat East Central

WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly volleyball team upped its season record to 17-9 Tuesday night, Oct. 2, after defeating East Central College of Union, Mo., 30-19, 30-16, 30-26 at the West Plains Civic Center arena.

The win didn’t keep Missouri State-West Plains’ national ranking from dropping, however.  After a rough weekend in the Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College Invitational, during which the team posted a 1-3 record, the Lady Grizzlies’ dropped to 18th on the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Women’s Volleyball poll.  Last week, they were 11th.

Even so, Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight was upbeat about Tuesday’s win.  “I thought everybody played really well.  Despite the injuries and the lineup changes, things are getting better,” she said.  “The girls are optimistic and are working hard.  Everybody did some good things last night.”

Sophomore middle attacker Brittney Herzog led the Lady Grizzlies’ charge with 12 kills, five blocks and 17 points earned.  Freshman attacker Monika Kasperek closely followed with 12 kills, three blocks and 12 points earned.  Sophomore libero Rachel Warrington turned in the top defensive performance with 16 digs.  Herzog had 13.

Since the start of the season, the Lady Grizzlies have had three starters go down to injury, which has hampered the team’s attempt to play consistently.  Knight’s hoping two of those players, sophomore middle attacker Patricia Gandolfo and freshman attacker Amanda Robertson, will be back in the lineup for the team’s next match Monday, Oct. 8, against No. 5 University of Arkansas-Fort Smith in Fort Smith, Ark.  “We should know if they’re ready when we practice Sunday,” Knight said.

Following Monday’s match, the Lady Grizzlies will travel to Miami, Fla., to compete in the Miami-Dade College Shark Tournament Oct. 12-13 where they will face four teams currently ranked in the NJCAA’s top 20 list.  They include No. 4 Miami-Dade, No. 8 Hillsborough Community College of Tampa, Fla., No. 14 St. Petersburg College of St. Petersburg, Fla., and No. 15 Florida Community College of Jacksonville.  The team also will play Pasco-Hernando Community College from New Port Richey, Fla., during the two-day event.

The Lady Grizzlies will return home for an Oct. 18 contest against Region 16 rival State Fair Community College of Sedalia.  The match, sponsored by Southern Missouri Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Clinic in West Plains, will begin at 6 p.m. in the civic center arena.

Trish Knight elected to AVCA Board of Directors

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Trish Kissiar-Knight, head coach of the Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly Volleyball team, has been elected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Board of Directors.

Knight will serve as the two-year colleges representative on the 18-member board.  Her three-year term begins Jan. 1, 2008.

“It’s a great honor to represent all two-year colleges on the board,” Knight said.  “It will be a good experience.  I will be able to bring the interests of all two-year colleges to the table, as well as become involved in the legislative process that governs all levels of the sport.”

Established as a private, non-profit educational corporation in 1981 and headquartered in Lexington, Ky., the AVCA’s mission is “to advance the development of the sport of volleyball by providing all coaches with educational programs, a forum for opinion exchange and recognition opportunities,” according to the organization’s Web site (www.avca.org).  The AVCA boasts membership at all levels of the sport, from club and high school through NCAA Division I.  The board, which includes 13 elected members representing all levels of the sport and five appointed members, oversees the business and affairs of the organization.

Knight, a 25-year-member of the organization, is in her 15th season as coach of the Lady Grizzlies.  She has accumulated over 600 wins during her tenure as Lady Grizzly head coach and has led the team to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Region 16 title eight consecutive years.  She currently serves the AVCA as a member of the awards committee.

“I think this is an exciting time in the history of the AVCA,” Knight said in an AVCA news release announcing the new board members.  “I think we’re moving in a such a positive direction.  (I see my role being) to promote and understand the needs of community college coaches and programs, as well as to promote the sport of volleyball at every level.”

Lady Grizzlies fall to University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

FORT SMITH, Ark. – The frustrations continue for Trish Kissiar-Knight and her Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly volleyball team.

Monday night, Oct. 8, the team fell to the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Lady Lions 24-30, 29-31, 24-30 in Fort Smith, Ark.  The loss to the No. 5-ranked Lions drops Missouri State-West Plains’ record to 17-10.

For most of the season, the Lady Grizzlies have battled injuries to key players and the resulting lineup changes in their effort to find consistency.  But according to Knight, the situation went from bad to worse Monday with a complete breakdown on defense.

“Our lack of defense is killing us,” the coach said.  “Our defense has always been good, but we’re just not digging balls.  I think we have the talent to beat them (Fort Smith), but we let 51 balls hit the floor because of lack of effort and lack of communication.  It’s frustrating to say the least.  We’re just not getting tough when we need to and are not playing together as a team.  That is what is eating me.  We have all this talent, and we can’t seem to do anything about it.”

One bright spot was the return of freshman attacker Amanda Robertson to the lineup.  She made her presence known by leading the team in kills with 14 and points earned with 15.  Fellow freshman attacker Monika Kasperek led the team in blocks with four, sophomore libero Rachel Warrington had a team-leading 18 digs, and freshman setter Amanda Kuhn recorded 39 assists.

The Lady Grizzlies will have to turn things around quickly this week, as they travel to Miami, Fla., to compete in the Miami-Dade College Shark Tournament Friday and Saturday, Oct. 12-13, where they will face four teams currently ranked in the NJCAA’s top 20 list.  They include No. 4 Miami-Dade, No. 8 Hillsborough Community College of Tampa, Fla., No. 14 St. Petersburg College of St. Petersburg, Fla., and No. 15 Florida Community College of Jacksonville.  The team also will play Pasco-Hernando Community College from New Port Richey, Fla., during the two-day event.

“We need to start playing better,” Knight said.  “None of these teams in this tournament will be easy.”

The Lady Grizzlies will return home for an Oct. 18 contest against Region 16 rival State Fair Community College of Sedalia.  The match, sponsored by Southern Missouri Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Clinic in West Plains, will begin at 6 p.m. in the civic center arena.

Lady Grizzlies take second in Miami-Dade tourney

MIAMI, Fla. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly volleyball team placed second at the Miami-Dade College Shark Invitational Tournament after posting a 3-2 record in the two-day event this past weekend in Miami, Fla.

“We’re playing better.  Now we need to get the team to focus for a month, and that’s going to be a big challenge,” Lady Grizzly Head Coach Trish-Kissiar Knight said today in a phone interview.

Despite recent inconsistencies which have left them 20-12 on the season, the Lady Grizzlies, currently ranked 18th in the nation, showed they’re still a force to be reckoned with Friday, Oct. 12, when they defeated 13th-ranked Florida Community College of Jacksonville 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 and No. 8 Hillsborough Community College of Tampa, Fla., 25-30, 30-24, 30-28, 26-30, 15-12.

On Saturday, Oct. 13, they posted another win with a 30-23, 30-24 victory over No. 20 St. Petersburg Community College of St. Petersburg, Fla., but they faltered against No. 16 Pasco-Hernando Community College of New Port Richey, Fla., 31-33, 30-21, 11-15, then lost to eventual tournament champions No. 4 Miami-Dade College 26-30, 24-30, 15-30.

“I was happy with our first three matches, but we should have never lost to Pasco,” Knight said.  “It was like a complete different team out there.  They were arguing among themselves and didn’t play like they can.  Then in the last game against Miami-Dade, we just lost heart.”

Sophomore middle attacker Brittney Herzog of Boonville, Mo., was named to the all-tournament team.

The Lady Grizzlies will return to the West Plains Civic Center this week to host Region 16 rival State Fair Community College of Sedalia, Mo., at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, in a match sponsored by Southern Missouri Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Clinic of West Plains.  Then, they will host the First National Bank Grizzly Invitational Tournament Friday and Saturday, Oct. 19-20, at the civic center.  In addition to Missouri State-West Plains, the event will feature Lake Land College of Mattoon, Ill., Seward County Community College of Liberal, Kan., Wallace State Community College of Hanceville, Ala., and State Fair.  Matches will be at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day, with the Lady Grizzlies playing in the 2 and 6 p.m. contests Friday and the noon and 6 p.m. contests Saturday.

Lady Grizzlies defeat State Fair, host tourney this weekend

WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly volleyball team will go into this weekend’s First National Bank Grizzly Invitational on a winning note after defeating Region 16 rival State Fair Community College of Sedalia 30-18, 30-12, 30-16 Thursday night, Oct. 18, at the West Plains Civic Center arena.

Despite the win, which bumped Missouri State-West Plains’ record to 21-12, Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight still has some concerns about her team.  “We didn’t flow like we need to flow,” she said of her team’s efforts in Thursday’s contest.  “Our positioning on the court is not quite where it needs to be.  So our lineup this weekend, hopefully, will be smoother.  We’ll put people in different spots this weekend until things smooth out.”

Still, she was pleased with her team’s play.  “We got everybody in, which was really good, and Pat (Gandolfo) had a great night.  She looked like Pat again,” Knight said.

The 6-2 Gandolfo, a middle attacker from Porto Alegre, Brazil, had been nuring a leg injury in recent days, but there were no signs of it Thursday night, as she recorded 12 kills, a .522 attacking percentage, 18 points earned and five blocks.  Fellow middle attacker Brittney Herzog also had five blocks, as well as eight kills and 16 points earned.

Knight thanked Dr. Rick Walker and Southern Missouri Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Clinic of West Plains for sponsoring the match, which will be the team’s last individual match of the regular season at home.

Both the Lady Grizzlies and the State Fair Lady Roadrunners will turn their attention to the First National Bank Grizzly Invitational, which got underway at 10 a.m. today, Oct. 19, with Lake Land College of Mattoon, Ill., facing Wallace State Community College of Hanceville, Ala.  State Fair was schedule to take the court at noon today against Seward County Community College, of Liberal, Kan., and the Lady Grizzlies were to face Wallace State at 2 p.m.  Action continues at 4 p.m. today with Lake Land facing State Fair, and the Lady Grizzlies meeting Seward County at 6 p.m.

Saturday’s schedule has Seward County vs. Wallace State at 10 a.m.; the Lady Grizzlies vs. State Fair at noon; Lake Land vs. Seward County at 2 p.m.; State Fair vs. Wallace State at 4 p.m.; and the Lady Grizzlies vs. Lake Land at 6 p.m.

Lady Grizzlies take 1st in tourney

WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly Volleyball team has finally found their groove.

The Lady Grizzlies easily put away the competition at the First National Bank Grizzly Invitational Tournament Friday and Saturday, Oct. 19 and 20, at the West Plains Civic Center arena and upped their season record to 25-12.

“We’re back,” Lady Grizzly Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight said of the effort.  “It’s really nice to be healthy again and have players back in their original positions.  I thought everybody did a great job, and everybody got to play, which is nice.”

The Lady Grizzlies, ranked 14th in the most recent National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I poll, set the tone for the weekend Friday when they defeated Wallace State Community College of Hanceville, Ala., 30-15, 30-13, 30-12 and Seward County Community College of Liberal, Kan., 30-27, 30-12, 30-25.  The juggernaut continued on Saturday when they downed State Fair Community College of Sedalia 30-21, 30-15, 30-24 and tripped up Lake Land College of Mattoon, Ill., 30-18, 30-16, 30-18 in the tournament championship.

Knight credits part of the Lady Grizzlies’ success to the power of positive thinking.  “Sometimes you have these brainstorms, and I came up with one that seemed to work,” she said, explaining the players wore blue rubber bracelets on their arms with reminders against negative thinking.  “We used magic marker and wrote on them ‘No Whining,’ ‘No Complaining,’ ‘No Excuses,’ and each time a problem arises, they are to look at the bracelet.  They are starting to think more positive thoughts now.”

Leading the Lady Grizzly charge was sophomore middle attacker Brittney Herzog, who had 60 kills, an attacking percentage of .609 and 79 points earned during the event.  She was followed closely by fellow sophomore middle attacker Patricia Gandolfo, who had 45 kills, an attacking percentage of .526, and 63 points earned.  She also led the team in blocks with 18.  Freshman setter Amanda Kuhn recorded 159 assists, and sophomore libero Rachel Warrington recorded 69 digs for the event.  All four received all-tournament honors.

Also selected to the all-tournament team were Vesna Trinovic, Kassia Pinto and Mindy McCollum, all of Lake Land; Jelena Simic, Yang Dan and Alex Droogsma, all of Seward; Anna Meinert of Wallace State; and Jennifer Rupke of State Fair.

Although she didn’t earn all-tournament honors, Knight was pleased with the efforts of sophomore outside attacker Lauren Noble.  “She handles all positions well, has a great attitude, never complains, and I am proud of the things she does.  Wherever I put her, she is glad to play that position,” the coach praised.

Knight believes this is the beginning of better things for the Lady Grizzlies, but they’ll truly discover if they’ve turned the corner on what has been a tumultuous season so far this weekend when they face Jefferson College at the Jefferson College Halloween Fest Invitational Tournament in Hillsboro, Mo.  The two Region 16 rivals will square off at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26.  “This match will tell us a lot,” she said.

On Saturday, Oct. 27, the Lady Grizzlies will play Lake Land at 10 a.m. and Indian Hills Community College of Ottumwa, Iowa, at 1 p.m.  On their way to Hillsboro, Missouri State-West Plains will stop at Union, Mo., to play East Central College at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25.

The Jefferson College tournament will conclude the regular season for the Lady Grizzlies.  They will return to Hillsboro Nov. 2-3 for the Region 16 Championship Tournament.  The winner will then move on to the NJCAA Division I Women’s National Championship Tournament Nov. 15-17 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Lady Grizzlies sweep East Central

UNION, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly Volleyball team enters the Jefferson College Halloween Fest tournament today, Oct. 26, in Hillsboro, Mo., with a 26-12 record after sweeping East Central College 30-15, 30-18, 30-27 Thursday night in Union, Mo.

“We had a pretty good night Thursday and things went well,” Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight said today.  “Everybody got to play, and we had three hitters get 12 kills apiece.”  Those hitters were sophomore middle attackers Brittney Herzog and Patricia Gandolfo, and freshman outside attacker Amanda Robertson.

Robertson led the team in attacking percentage with .524, recording only one error along the way.  Herzog’s percentage was .429, and Gandolfo’s was .391.  Gandolfo led the Lady Grizzlies in blocking with four and in points earned with 16.  Herzog and Robertson each recorded 12 points earned.

Freshman setter Amanda Kuhn had 40 assists, and sophomore libero Rachel Warrington led the team in digs with 14.  Freshman attacker Lacey Luttrull had 12 digs.

The Lady Grizzlies will begin today’s tournament at 6:30 p.m. with a match against the host team, Jefferson College.  At 10 a.m. Saturday, they will face Missouri Baptist from St. Louis.  Originally, the Lady Grizzlies were to have played Lake Land College of Mattoon, Ill., at 10 a.m. Saturday and Indian Hills Community College from Ottumwa, Iowa, at 1 p.m. Saturday, but scheduling conflicts forced those two teams to drop out of the event, Knight explained.

This weekend’s tournament concludes the regular season for the Lady Grizzlies.  On Nov. 2-3, they will compete for their ninth straight Region 16 Championship at the annual post-season tournament, which will be held in Hillsboro, Mo.   The winner will advance to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Women’s National Volleyball Championship Tournament Nov. 15-17 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Lady Grizzlies win 9th region title

            HILLSBORO, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzlies captured their ninth consecutive Region 16 Championship trophy this past weekend when they won the annual Region 16 Tournament in Hillsboro, Mo. in two straight-game matches.

The Lady Grizzlies (30-12) defeated State Fair Community College of Sedalia 30-14, 30-17, 30-12 Friday night, Nov. 2, and dominated Jefferson College, which hosted this year’s event, 30-22, 30-14, 30-20 in Saturday’s championship match.

“I feel really good, and I am relieved,” Lady Grizzly Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight said.  “We played really well this weekend, and what is so nice, we did well at the right time.  Between the second and third games against Jefferson, I told the girls we need to play to win and slam the door shut.  They slammed it shut.”

Although some of the Lady Grizzlies were still nursing injuries and upset stomachs, they still gave 100 percent on the court.  “Nothing slowed them down.  Everything was perfect during the weekend,” Knight said.

First-team all-region honors were bestowed on four Lady Grizzlies – sophomore middle attackers Patricia Gandolfo and Brittney Herzog, freshman attacker Monika Kasperek and sophomore libero Rachel Warrington.  Freshman setter Amanda Kuhn was named second-team all-region.

Statistical leaders in Saturday’s championship included Herzog and freshman hitter Amanda Robertson, each of whom had 12 kills; Herzog with nine blocks and 22 points earned; Gandolfo with two aces; Kuhn with 37 assists; and Warrington with 13 digs.

“Everybody played very well, and I was especially pleased with Amanda Robertson,” Knight praised.  “For a freshman, her hitting percentage was phenomenal.  Against State Fair, she hit .600, and against Jefferson it was .500.  For the tournament, she hit .541.”

Freshman attacker Lauren Nobel also received kudos from Knight for her efforts throughout the season.  “She has been solid all year.  When we had an injury, she would fill in and play about every position.  She is playing defense right now and is doing great.

“Also, Rachel Warrington has had a good year.  She passed well all weekend.  She is the truest serve receive passer we’ve ever had,” the coach added.  Warrington led the team in passing for the tournament with 27.

Knight also was pleased with the team’s blocking efforts during the tournament.  Adding to Herzog’s nine blocks against Jefferson were Gandolfo with six, Kasperek four, Kuhn three and Roberston two.

By winning the Region 16 Championship, the Lady Grizzlies have earned the right to compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Women’s National Volleyball Championship tournament Nov. 15-17 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Pairings for this event will be released following the completion of other region tournaments.

Lady Grizzlies fall in 1st round of national tournament

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The dream of adding a national championship plaque to the Missouri State University-West Plains trophy case in the West Plains Civic Center will have to wait another year for the Lady Grizzlies.

The team fell to the defending national champions, the Iowa Western Community College Lady Reivers of Council Bluffs, 26-30, 26-30, 30-27, 22-30 in the first round of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) 2007 Division I Women’s National Volleyball Championship Tournament.  The loss drops the Lady Grizzlies’ season record to 30-13, while Iowa Western, which is hosting this year’s national tournament, jumps to 57-3.

 “We flat beat ourselves,” Lady Grizzly Head Coach Trish Kissiar-Knight said.  “We couldn’t get anything going with any consistency, and we didn’t get any breaks.  We played kind of so-so, then they (Iowa Western) came back in the fourth game, and we couldn’t do anything.  You need to be smooth when you get here, and we weren’t.”

The Lady Grizzlies, seeded 11th in the tournament, struggled from the match’s first serve, quickly falling three points behind the sixth seeded Lady Reivers in the first game.  The Lady Grizzlies showed some life in the second game, snaring four quick points before Iowa Western got on the board, but the Lady Reivers battled back to win the second game, as well.

After giving up the first two points of the third game, the Lady Grizzlies eventually developed some momentum off the strong arm of sophomore middle attacker Patricia Gandolfo and took the third game.  But the Lady Reivers responded by taking over the fourth game and building an eight-point lead the Lady Grizzlies couldn’t overcome.

 “It’s very disappointing,” Lady Grizzly Assistant Coach Paula Wiedemann said after the match.  “This was a match we wanted to win.  We knew what we wanted to do against Iowa Western, but our errors just killed us.  Iowa Western has a good team.  They’re the defending national champions, and they feel they have something to prove.  We just didn’t get done what we thought we could do.”

Both Knight and Wiedemann praised Gandolfo for an excellent performance against Iowa Western.  “Pat played a tremendous match.  She was an animal at the net,” Wiedemann said.  Gandolfo had 23 kills and 10 blocks to lead the team in those categories.

Sophomore libero Rachel Warrington had 25 digs, which also warranted praise from Wiedemann.  “Rachel had some really big digs during the match, and she passed the ball extremely well,” the assistant coach said.

The loss moves the Lady Grizzlies, who placed third in last year’s national tournament in West Plains, into the consolation bracket where they will face 14th seeded Casper (Wyo.) College at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 16.  A loss Friday will eliminate the Lady Grizzlies from the tournament.  A win will keep them in the running for, at best, a ninth place finish in the three-day event.

Lady Grizzly fans who are not attending the tournament can follow the team’s matches on KSPQ 93.9 FM radio station or visit www.kspq.com to hear the matches streaming live or by podcast.  For more information about the Lady Grizzly volleyball program, visit the team’s Web site at http://www.websightmaster.com/grizzly/.

‘Rough,’ ‘frustrating’ national tournament for Lady Grizzlies

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – “Rough” and “frustrating” were the adjectives Trish Kissiar-Knight used to describe the experience of her Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzlies at last week’s National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Division I Women’s National Volleyball Championship Tournament in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The Lady Grizzlies, seeded 11th in the three-day tournament, finished their season Friday evening, Nov. 16, with a loss to seventh seeded Barton County Community College of Great Bend, Kan., in the consolation bracket.  The final score was 28-30, 30-32, 31-29, 32-34, giving Missouri State-West Plains a final season record of 31-14.

 “It was a frustrating experience,” Knight said.  “That loss to Barton was hard to take.  We did not get any breaks in that match, but we didn’t get any breaks throughout the tournament.  When you don’t play well, you don’t get any breaks.  We had a rough tournament.  The national tournament will be rough if you don’t have a good start, and we didn’t have a good start.”

The Lady Grizzlies were knocked into the consolation bracket Thursday, Nov. 15, after losing to the tournament’s host team, No. 6 Iowa Western Community College, 26-30, 26-30, 30-27, 22-30 in the first round.  They rebounded with a win Friday morning over No. 14 Casper (Wyo.) College 30-20, 30-25, 30-16, but faltered again Friday evening against Barton and were knocked out of the tournament.

Despite the disappointing showing, Knight said several players had good performances on the court.  Sophomore middle attackers Patricia Gandolfo and Brittney Herzog both had good tournaments, Knight said, adding, “I am disappointed neither was named to the all-tournament team.”  Normally, she said, all-tournament honors are bestowed upon players whose teams finish in the top five.

For the tournament, Gandolfo hammered 51 kills, posted an attacking percentage of .444, earned 76 points, and recorded 21 blocks and four aces.  Herzog played through an upset stomach to post 45 kills, a .347 attacking percentage, 63 points earned, 33 digs and 18 blocks in the tournament.

Knight also praised the efforts of sophomore libero Rachel Warrington and freshman outside hitter Monika Kasperek.  Warrington finished the tournament with a team-leading 52 digs.  Kasperek recorded 32 kills, an attacking percentage of .207, 12 blocks and 44 points earned.

Western Nebraska Community College of Scottsbluff, seeded fifth in the tournament, won its first NJCAA national volleyball championship Saturday evening when they handed second seeded Miami-Dade College of Miami, Fla., its first loss of the season, 30-27, 30-24, 21-30, 30-22.

This was the Lady Grizzlies’ ninth consecutive appearance in the NJCAA Division I Women’s National Volleyball Championship.  “I’m glad we got the chance to play in the nationals, but I wish we would have done better,” Knight said.

Trish Knight selected for Mo. Sports Hall of Fame

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Trish Kissiar-Knight, head coach of the Missouri State University-West Plains Lady Grizzly Volleyball team, will be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2008 during enshrinement ceremonies at 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, at the University Plaza Convention Center in Springfield, Mo.

The announcement of the 2008 inductees came during a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 2, at the Hall’s headquarters in Springfield, Mo.  Knight will be one of 15 individuals and two teams inducted into the Hall this year, according to a press release from the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

“This is one of the greatest honors an individual can receive, to be put in your state’s sports hall of fame,” Knight said.  “It’s a true honor to represent this community in the Hall because the community has helped me be successful.  It’s truly overwhelming!”

Knight has long been considered one of the nation’s top volleyball coaches.  As coach of the West Plains High School girls’ volleyball team for 14 years in the 1980s and 1990s, Knight led the Lady Zizzers to a 328-73-23 record, including 87 consecutive victories between 1985 and 1988, and earned four consecutive Missouri Class 4A state volleyball championship trophies from 1984-1987.

During the past 15 years as Missouri State-West Plains’ head volleyball coach, she had led the Lady Grizzlies to nine consecutive Region 16 championships and nine consecutive appearances in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Women’s National Volleyball Championships, reaching the championship match in 2002 and 2003.  She has earned 11 Region 16 Coach of the Year honors, six NJCAA District Coach of the Year honors, two American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Tachikara Junior College/Community College Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors, and was elected to the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005.  She also was named Most Caring Coach by USAToday Weekend magazine in 2005.  Under her tutelage, the Lady Grizzlies have compiled an astounding 638-155-3 record.

“Trish Knight is a model coach for student athletes,” Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett said.  “Not only does she have a long history of developing winning volleyball teams, she has consistently developed academically successful students.  Everyone at Missouri State University-West Plains is extremely proud of Coach Knight’s accomplishments and delighted that she is being given this well-deserved recognition.”

“Coach Knight has been an inspiration to us all as she has crafted a storybook collegiate career at Missouri State University-West Plains,” added Dr. Herb Lunday, Dean of Student Services/Athletic Director.  “She cares about students, she serves her community, and she has developed a competitive record that is absolutely astonishing.  She has earned the full respect of students, colleagues and opponents alike for all she has done.”

As a player, Knight, a native of Licking, was on the first high school volleyball team to win a state championship and was named most valuable player on the team.  While playing for the Missouri State University VolleyBears in the late 1970s, the team finished among the top 15 teams in the AIAW National Championships in each of Knight’s four years with the program, placing seventh twice.

Although the recognition honor’s Knight and her accomplishments, she said she will be accepting it for all of those who have helped her, encouraged her and supported her through the years.  Among them are her parents, Patsy and Wesley Kissiar; her husband, Paul, and her sons Dustin and Ben; her high school coaches, Jane Gohn Richardson and Mary Menne; her collegiate coach, the legendary Linda Dollar; her colleagues and mentors through the years, including fellow Missouri Sports Hall of Fame honoree Joe Bill Dixon and former West Plains High School coach Ron Shemwell; and her Lady Grizzly assistant coaches, Erika Derra and Paula Wiedemann; as well as all of those who were involved in the submission of her name for consideration by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

“It’s because of these people, as well as so many others, that I have achieved any measure of success,” Knight said.  “My parents taught me the value of strong morals and a strong work ethic.  My husband, Paul, does so much for me.  He keeps my life in balance.  Without him, I’d have a hard time doing my job.  I also was lucky to have such good high school and college coaches and wonderful mentors when I became a coach myself.  And this community gave me the opportunity to be successful.  I can’t thank everyone enough.”

Knight is one of four current and/or former West Plains residents to be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.  The others include former Major League baseball player and manager Bill Virdon (1983), Brooklyn Dodger pitching legend Elwin “Preacher” Roe (1998), and long-time West Plains High School cross country coach Joe Bill Dixon (2001).