No. 10 Jennies Set for Colorado Premier Challenge Sept. 10-11

Colorado Premier Challenge
Match 1: No. 10 Central Missouri (4-0) vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (0-0)
Friday, Sept. 10 | 12 p.m. CT | Denver, Colo. (Auraria Event Center)
Live Stats | Live Video

Match 2: No. 10 Central Missouri at No. 20 MSU Denver (2-2)
Friday, Sept. 10 | 7 p.m. CT | Denver, Colo. (Auraria Event Center)
Live Stats | Live Video

Schedule for Saturday, Sept. 11, is TBA based on Friday results

Match Notes (PDF) | Colorado  Premier Challenge Info

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This Week
• Fresh off a 4-0 start to the season, 10th-ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies volleyball is scheduled to travel to Denver, Colo., for the Colorado Premier Challenge Sept. 10-11.
• Central Missouri is slated to open the challenge with matches Friday, Sept. 10, against Texas A&M-Commerce (noon CT) and No. 20 Metro State (7 p.m. CT). The contests on Saturday, Sept. 11, are to be determined based on the Jennies' results Friday.
• UCM is coming off a perfect 4-0 weekend to begin the season, winning all four matches via sweep in the Alaska Anchorage Seawolf Invitational Sept. 2-4.
• The Jennies swept Alaska Fairbanks, Texas A&M-International, Indianapolis and host Alaska Anchorage in the Seawolf Invitational.
 
How to Watch
• Live video and live statistics are slated to be available for all matches in the Colorado Premier Challenge. For links, please visit www.UCMAthletics.com.
 
Last Time Out
• The Jennies rolled to a 3-, straight-set win over Alaska Anchorage to close out the Seawolf Invitational Sept. 4, 25-18, 25-13, 25-17. Kersti Nix had a career-high 15 kills to go along with 12 digs and hit .333, while Ally Offerdahl compiled a match-best 32 assists, and Hannah Engelken tallied a match-high six blocks.
• UCM outhit Alaska Anchorage in the match, .222 to .008, including limiting the Seawolves to negative hitting in both the second and third sets.
 
All-Tourney Honors
• Kersti Nix, Ally Offerdahl and Hannah Engelken were all named to the Seawolf Invitational All-Tournament Team, with Nix being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after hitting .364 with 50 kills on 107 attempts and just 11 errors to go along with 41 digs, 12 block assists and a pair of service aces in UCM's four matches.
 
Experience Throughout the Lineup
• Central Missouri welcomes back five of its starters from the 2019 team that posted an overall record of 23-10 and finished third in the MIAA at 15-5.
• The Jennies return six All-MIAA honorees from 2019 in 2021, including middle blockers Audrey Fisher (first team) and Hannah Engelken (honorable mention), outside hitters Sydney Lierz (first team), Aubree Bell (honorable mention) and Hannah VanBuskirk (honorable mention), and setter Ally Offerdahl (first team). Lierz was also the 2019 MIAA Freshman of the Year, while Engelken was the 2018 Freshman of the Year.
 
Welcome to Warrensburg!
• UCM welcomes four newcomers to the team in 2021 in freshmen Grace Winkelmann (Rhineland, Mo.), Tiffany Little (Parker, Colo.), Arley Anderson (Kansas City, Mo.) and Justine Bichelmeyer (Shawnee, Kan.). Winkelmann is the younger sister of former Jennies basketball and volleyball standout Shelby Winkelmann (2012-15).
 
UCM in the Polls
• The Jennies are one of four MIAA volleyball teams in the latest AVCA Top-25 Coaches' Poll released Sept. 6. Nebraska Kearney is third, Washburn is fourth, Northwest Missouri is eighth and Central Missouri is 10th. 
• In the MIAA preseason poll, the Jens were picked to finish fourth behind Nebraska-Kearney, Washburn and Northwest Missouri. They finished with 75 points.
 
Individual Milestones
• Ally Offerdahl moved up to ninth on the UCM career assists chart with her 137 assists in the Jennies' four matches in Anchorage. She sits at 4,083 career assists and is 12 shy of moving up to eighth all-time.
• Audrey Fisher needs 18 more blocks to get to 300.
 
.300 or Better
• Under Coach Piontek, Central Missouri 121-0 when they hit at least .300. While it hasn't happened often under Piontek, UCM is just 3-13 when surrendering a .300 attack percentage to their opponent. The Jennies hit better than .300 in 10 matches in 2019.
 
MIAA Leaders
• Entering the weekend in Colorado, the Jennies rank first in the MIAA in blocks at 2.83 per set and opponent hitting percentage, holding adversaries to just .094 hitting in four matches, and second in assists (13.83/set), kills (14.75/set) and digs (20.50/set).
• Individually, Hannah Engelken is the MIAA leader in blocks through four matches, averaging 1.83 blocks per set with 22 total blocks, while Ally Offerdahl is second in assists with 11.42 assists per set on 137 total assists. Kersti Nix is second in kills with 4.17 kills per set and 50 total kills.
 
Up Next
• The Jennies host Missouri Western for their 2021 home and MIAA opener Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. at the UCM Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg.