(SAN ANTONIO, Texas) — The Central Missouri Jennies finished their season opening weekend with two more wins against Texas Woman’s University and Adams State.
The Jens (4-0) tallied 944 points to move up to seventh in this week’s poll right behind fellow MIAA member Washburn, who moved up one spot to sixth. Nebraska-Kearney is the highest ranked conference school at No. 3. Tampa took over the top spot receiving 36 of a possible 48 first-place votes.
The Jennies have been ranked in every AVCA poll since its inception in 1986, a record 343 consecutive weeks.
The Jennies first match of the day was against the Texas Woman’s University Pioneers, winning all three sets 25-13 25-17 25-13. Kills by Haley Thompson won four of the Jennies first six points of the match. The Jennies lead Texas Woman’s for the rest of the set, finishing off the Pioneers with two consecutive points from Carly Sojka and Taylor Gooddness. Julia Bates registered 17 assists in the first set alone.
The second set was the closest of the match. The Jennies came out winning the first eight of ten points, taking a 14-5 lead before the Pioneers had a chance to catch up. Texas Woman’s went on a short lived streak, winning four points in a row to make the score 14-9, before Sojka added a point for Central Missouri with a kill. The rest of the set was back and forth between the Jennies and Pioneers, but Texas Woman’s was never able to close the six point lead, the set ending at 25-17.
The third set was quick, with Central Missouri scoring five points fast, with two kills from Thompson and Gooddness and a serving ace from Annie Reilly. The Jennies continued to score two and three points in a row for the remainder of the match, allowing the Pioneers only one to two points at a time. The final point of the match came from a kill by Becca Blaise, her second match point of the day.
In the second match of the day the Jennies faced Adams State, who were ranked 23 in the AVCA preseason poll, the only ranked team Central Missouri faced all weekend. The match started of with a close set , Adams State leading through the first fourteen points. Central Missouri took the lead with three straight points, one kill from both Gooddness and Thompson and another serving ace from Reilly, making the score 11-8. The Jennies then won four of the next seven points to take a four point lead that Adams State never closed. The match ended with a serving ace from Mikalee Monachino, the final score was 25-18.
The Jennies ran away with the second set, that was relatively close until the Jennies won eight straight points, including four serving aces in a row by Sojka, making the score 20-7. Adams State added only three more points before the Jennies finished off the set, 25-10. In the final set of the evening, the Jennies again started strong winning eight of the first ten points. Central Missouri lead Adams State the rest of the match by at least five points. The final point of the match was a service ace by Julia Bates, the final score was 25-17.
The Jennies will host the Peggy Martin Challenge Sept. 12-14, which will double as their home opener.