As the Pittsburg State volleyball team pulled into Central Missouri on Wednesday, a reassuring thought had to be how successful the 21st-ranked Gorillas have been this season in Warrensburg, Mo.
Earlier this season, Pitt State knocked off nationally-ranked Central Missouri at Warrensburg.
But, that leaves little thought for Gorilla head coach Ibraheem Suberu as Pitt State prepares for the South Central Regional tournament, which kicks off today.
“It’s postseason and anything we have done in the past, I am not sure if it affects the future,” Suberu said. “But, the kids are comfortable and they are ready to play.”
The Gorillas (24-10) winners of 10 of their last 11 matches, will take on No. 10 Emporia State at 5 p.m. in the first round. The Gorillas handed the Hornets a 3-1 loss back on Nov. 6 in Emporia.
“They are a good team and they are well-coached,” Suberu said. “They are ranked very high in the country and return two All-Americans, so what more can you say?”
This will be the Gorillas’ sixth season of being selected to the NCAA Tournament — including the last four years straight. Pitt State is 1-5 in the tournament with their lone win coming against North Alabama on Nov. 18. 2004 in Kirksville, Mo.
“It’s a brand new year and a brand new team,” Suberu said. “They have the opportunity to write their own future and this team has a great psyche about it.”
The Gorillas have faced six of the other seven teams in the tournament field and are 5-7 against those teams.
They split this season with Emporia State with each team winning on the other’s home court.
Senior outside hitter Pamela Cartagena leads the Gorillas by averaging 4.04 kills per set and is second on the team in digs with 4.11 per set.
Setter Emily Vosseler is averaging 11.4 assists per set and has notched 46 blocks and 69 kills on the season.
On defense, Pittsburg graduate Cassie Wilson is the team’s leader in digs with 4.80 per set and freshman Brooke Fay leds the team in blocks with 65 total. Junior Molly Bergkamp is second iwth 57 followed by sophomore Corrinne Stringer with 56.
The Hornets are led by Arica Shepard who is hitting a .324 percentage and 4.24 kills per set.
Ting Liu averages 11.7 assists per set and leads the Hornets with 39 service aces on the year.
“They just have a dymanic offensive scheme,” Suberu said. “They are one of the best offensive teams in the country and they don’t take any breaks. That forces opponents to keep up and not take any time off.”
NOTES: Cartagena was named the MIAA Player of the Year on Wednesday and also was a unanimous selection to the conference’s first-team ... Vosseler and Stringer earned second-team nods for the Gorillas and Wilson was placed on the third team ... Bergkamp and Fay were each named to the MIAA honorable mention team.
Matthew Clark can be reached at matthew.clark@morningsun.net or at 620-231-2600, Ext 140. Follow Morning Sun sports at twitter.com/mssports
