Muleskinner

Issue date: 10/5/06 Section: Sports

Returning home-- Outside hitter Brooke Butler returns the ball in a win over Northwest Missouri State September 16. The Jennies return home this week after two weeks of play on the road to battle with Emporia State.

The Jennies are back in town. After a two-week road trip, the squad will return to the friendly confines of the Multipurpose Building, where the Jennies are undefeated this season.

The Jennies opened the homestand against Washburn Wednesday, but results were not available at the time of publication. Outside hitter Andrea Robertson discussed the string of success the team has had against Washburn.

"We always do good against Washburn at home," said junior hitter Andrea Robertson," There is more pep, and since they are rivals, it would feel really good to beat them."

The Jennies will now set their sights on Emporia State Saturday. The Jennies haven't lost to Emporia since 2003, and they hope to continue that streak.

The girls will travel to Bolivar Monday for a battle with Southwest Baptist University. Both games are conference match ups and are important to the Jennies' season record and playoff hopes. The girls would like to start climbing back up the AVCA Division polls after slipping down to number 11.

After the MIAA matches, the Jennies will return to Warrensburg to play Rockhurst University at the UCM Multipurpose Building. This game should serve as a nice break from conference play.
This past week, the girls had a nice run, with just two games over that span. They traveled to Pittsburg, Kan., Friday for a match up with Pittburg State, then to Joplin Saturday to play Missouri Southern.

The Jennies shut out both squads, showing signs they have been working on staying strong throughout the match. They have had many matches go five games because they back off their intensity and other teams take advantage of it.

"We work on our stamina a lot," Robertson said. "We used to only scrimmage two games at practice, but now we do three. We've always had trouble staying strong; it's a lack of focus. We need to look at each opponent as a rival, that will keep our heads strong."

Winning those two games helped move the Jennies season record to 18-3. They are currently sitting in second place in the MIAA Division-II standings. They are about halfway through their season, and they are getting stronger with each passing game.

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