Muleskinner

Issue date: 10/6/05 Section: Sports

Garrick Hodge - Muleskinner - Jennies´ volleyball player Becky Haug hits the ball back to the Emporia State side of the net on Thursday. Central is fourth in the MIAA.

Garrick Hodge - Muleskinner - Jennies´ player Audrey Jensen (12) keeps the ball from hitting the floor against Emporia State Thursday. Central won the match 3-1.

 The No. 13 Jennies' (14-7, 5-3) volleyball team will host Truman State on Wednesday in a pivotal match-up that signals the start of the second half of conference play. 

The Jennies currently sit in fourth place in the MIAA thanks to a 3-1 victory over Emporia State last Thursday. The Hornets came into the contest with a one game lead over the Jennies in the conference standings. By week's end, with a little help from Washburn, it was the Hornets that were looking up at the Jennies in the standings.

"I was very happy with the way we played against a 16-1 team," assistant coach Flip Piontek said. "They were a team that knew how to win. The win sets us up going into the second half of the season."

Senior Becky Haug led the Jennies in scoring with 16 kills. She also added eight blocks in the victory. Sophomore Andrea Robertson and junior Katie Tarka added 12 kills apiece, while senior Kaci Young aided the attack with 43 assists and 18 digs.

The win put the Jennies in sole possession of fourth place in the MIAA, not the most ideal position to be in for a squad that started the year ranked in the top 10.

Inconsistent play against ranked teams, most notably Missouri Western and Washburn, created this early deficit and will leave the Jennies with little room for error as the second half of the season kicks off.

The Jennies added to their win total over the weekend with two non-conference match-ups in St. Louis on Saturday. The Jennies defeated regional foe Alabama-Huntsville 3-0 in the early contest and beat the host school, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 3-0 later that day.  Piontek said the break from conference action was welcome.

"The whole trip was very nice," Piontek said. "We were able to have the day off on Friday after a tough match-up against Emporia so we took advantage of that. Beating [Alabama] Huntsville was huge because they had beat [Missouri] Western earlier in the year."

The Jennies were led in scoring over the weekend by Haug's 34 kills. Tarka contributed 19 kills and 28 digs. Sophomore Audrey Jensen led the team with 36 digs and Young added 90 assists.

Most notable this weekend was the emergence of Haug. The senior has been a major contributor to the team for years, but is peaking at the right time. Piontek said that volleyball is a matter of streaks, just like any other sport.

"It's a process over the course of the year," Piontek said. "Players will come on at different times, and while you would like all of them to be at the top of their game all the time, it's unrealistic."

The combination of Haug, Robertson and freshman Brooke Butler gives the Jennies a formidable trio up front. Add that to the continual solid play of Jensen, Young and Tarka, and the team could be set to make a strong run in the second half of the season.

The Jennies are currently on a week-and-a-half long hiatus from play. The unusual bye week will allow the team some time to recover and heal from a very up and down first half.  Piontek said the week off shouldn't hurt the Jennies' momentum.

"We are a little beat up right now, so the rest will be very welcome," Piontek said.

The Jennies resume play at 7 p.m. Wednesday with a match-up against No.1 Truman State.  Truman defeated the Jennies Sept. 14 in Kirksville. 

The Jennies will then take to the road, playing at Missouri Western on Friday and Northwest Missouri State on Saturday. How the squad fares next week could very well determi

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