Women's Volleyball | 10/15/2015 10:41:00 AM
WICHITA – The Newman volleyball team, currently No. 2 in the Heartland Conference standings at 7-1, takes on No. 1 UA Fort Smith tonight (Oct. 15) at 7 p.m. at Fugate Gymnasium. Live stats and video will be available for the contest.
The Jets are currently 7-1 in the Heartland Conference with their lone loss to UAFS in the conference opener on Sept. 10 in Fort Smith, Ark. NU is currently on a seven-match conference winning streak. They are one win back from the Lions, who are 8-0. A win tonight would pull the Jets even with the Lions. The Jets are also 7-0 at home this season. For the season, NU is 17-5 overall.
Senior middle hitter
Ashley Gonzalez was named the Heartland Conference Hitter of the Week on Monday (Oct. 12) for the fifth straight time. She led the Jets to a 3-1 week. She hit .364 with three aces, three digs and two blocks in a Heartland Conference win at Oklahoma Panhandle State. In a win at Eastern New Mexico, Gonzalez went for a season high in a three-set match with 22 kills and hit .386. She had her best hitting percentage of the week in a 3-0 win against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Gonzalez finished hitting .432 with 18 kills and only two errors.
Gonzalez continues to lead the conference in hitting percentage and kills at .364 and 4.37, respectively. She is also first in the conference in aces per set at 0.47. Senior setter
Alexus Litts ranks No. 1 in the conference in assists at 10.82 per set. Libero
Anna Burton averages 5.29 digs per set, ranking No. 4 in the Heartland Conference.
As a team, the Jets have a conference-beset .206 hitting percentage and 13.48 kills per set. They are tops in assists at 12.48 per set and No. 1 in aces at 1.64 per set.
UAFS is 14-3 overall and 8-0 in the Heartland Conference. The Lions are on a 13-match winning streak. It's their first match in a week as they last were in action on Oct. 8 at Oklahoma Panhandle State, winning 3-0 against the Aggies. For the season, UAFS is 4-1 on the road, their lone loss at West Florida by a 3-0 score in Pensacola, Fla.
Kennedi Coleman leads the Lions in kills at 3.54 per set, and she is hitting .206. Whitney Mills is tops on the team in assists at 9.62 assists per set. Emily Tripp averages a team-high 5.62 digs per set.
Tonight is the first of four straight home contests. After tonight, NU plays Texas-Permian Basin next Thursday (Oct. 22) at 7 p.m. at Fugate Gymnasium.
