Women's Volleyball 10/16/2024 9:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

No. 13 Central Oklahoma Hosts Fort Hays State, No. 3 UNK

Bronchos Return Home For Key MIAA Matchups

EDMOND – No. 13 Central Oklahoma returns home for a pair of MIAA matches at Hamilton Field House, beginning with Fort Hays State Thursday night.

UCO is 18-1 on the season with a 5-1 record in the MIAA. The Bronchos welcome the Tigers from Hays, Kansas to Edmond at 6 p.m. Thursday with a 9-7 overall record and a 1-6 mark in league play. Central Oklahoma is also hosting No. 3 Nebraska Kearney on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Lopers of Kearney, Nebraska are 19-0 this season and 7-0 in league play.

There are still 10 matches left for the Bronchos in the MIAA this season. UCO is currently second behind Kearney in the league standings. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season will meet in St. Joseph, Missouri for the 2024 MIAA Volleyball Championship.

Central Oklahoma enters the weekend with one of the best offenses in the country. The Bronchos rank fourth in team kills (976) and sixth in team assists (904). UCO's per-set average is seventh-best for kills (14.57) and eighth-best for assists (13.49). Overall, the offense is hitting .276 through 19 matches, good for the 10th-best mark in the country.

Lindsey Houran sets the offense. The junior is averaging 10.92 assists per set and ranks 18th in the country with that mark. Her 699 total assists rank 17th. Houran has several options to set the attack and that's been a big part of UCO's success in 2024.

Jenna Karp ranks 14th in the country with a .410 hitting percentage. She has 187 kills this season and averages 3.28 per set. Addison Wimmer leads the team with 192 kills, an average of 3.25 per set. And Sydney Huck has 172 kills, averaging 3.07 per set.

Houran can also set Mikaela Garvin, who has 150 kills this season. She hits .286 and averages 2.63 kills per set. Lari Migliorino is another option in the middle. She has 93 kills and hits .297 on the season.

Karp, Garvin, and Migliorino, as well as Mikiah Perdue, are each key players at the net on defense.

Migliorino leads the team with 45 blocks this season, an average of 0.94 per set. Karp and Garvin both have 41 blocks, and Perdue has 40. Wimmer (18), Huck (14), and Houran (14) also help out at the net.

On the back row, Katie Le leads the team from her libero position. The senior has 317 digs this season, 4.73 per set. Houran adds 175 and Riley Roberts chips in 142 digs. Huck (124) and Wimmer (121) are also key players all the way around the rotation.

Central Oklahoma has a 27-8 advantage in the all-time series with Fort Hays State. The Bronchos have also won 15 consecutive matches against the Tigers. In Edmond, UCO is 11-3 overall against Hays.

Fort Hays State comes to Edmond hitting .196 as a team and averaging 12.7 kills per set. The Tigers dish out 11.6 assists per set, and on defense, average 15.8 digs per set and 2.3 blocks per set. Gracie Rains leads the team with 238 total kills. Grace Schmedding (157), Ashlyn Reeves (122), and Claire Olson (113) are also key players. Caiya Stucky has 546 assists to pace the offense. Kirsten Evans leads the defense with 258 digs.

Central Oklahoma will take on Hays and Kearney in Edmond this weekend, then host new MIAA member Arkansas Fort Smith next week on Wednesday night. The two schools are meeting twice in four days when the Bronchos visit UAFS next Saturday.

Central Oklahoma will host Central Missouri and Missouri Southern the first weekend of November, then travel to Pittsburg State and Newman, before wrapping up the regular season against Washburn and Emporia State Nov. 15-16 at Hamilton Field House.

The 2024 MIAA Volleyball Championship is scheduled for Nov. 21-23 in St. Joseph, Missouri. The NCAA Regional Championships are scheduled for Dec. 5-8, with nationals slated for Dec. 12-14 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Lindsey Houran: S; 5' 8"; Junior

#14 Sydney Huck: OH; 5' 10"; Junior

#7 Jenna Karp: MB; 6' 0"; Senior

#2 Katie Le: DS/L; 5' 3"; Senior

#10 Lari Migliorino: MB; 6' 0"; Junior

#15 Mikiah Perdue: MB; 5' 9"; Junior

#11 Riley Roberts: S; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#3 Addison Wimmer: OH; 5' 10"; Senior

#21 Mikaela Garvin: OH; 6' 2"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#1 Lindsey Houran
: 5' 8"; Junior
: S

#14 Sydney Huck
: 5' 10"; Junior
: OH

#7 Jenna Karp
: 6' 0"; Senior
: MB

#2 Katie Le
: 5' 3"; Senior
: DS/L

#10 Lari Migliorino
: 6' 0"; Junior
: MB

#15 Mikiah Perdue
: 5' 9"; Junior
: MB

#11 Riley Roberts
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: S

#3 Addison Wimmer
: 5' 10"; Senior
: OH

#21 Mikaela Garvin
: 6' 2"; Graduate Student
: OH