#3 Lopers Win in MIAA Quarters, 3-1

Nov 21, 2025 / UNK Lopers

Graduate outside hitter Carly Purdy had a career-high 21 kills to help third-ranked Nebraska Kearney beat Fort Hays State in four sets (-20, 24-26, -18, -14) Thursday night in the MIAA Tournament in St. Joseph, Mo.

This was a quarterfinal match with top-seeded UNK (27-3) set to face either eighth-ranked Central Oklahoma or 24th-ranked Emporia State Friday at 7:30 p.m. in one semifinal match. Those two played late Friday. On the other side of the bracket, Pittsburg State upset 16th-ranked Missouri Western in five sets while seventh-ranked Washburn bested No. 34 Central Missouri in four.

The Lopers out hit the Tigers (16-13) by exactly 100 points, but Hays hung around thanks to 13.0 team blocks and a big night from sophomore Grace Schmedding (16 kills, 18 digs). UNK was up 19-13 in set one, but back-to-back Schmedding kills made it just a 21-19 lead. The Blue & Gold closed on a 4-1 run thanks to two Purdy kills.

However, Hays came back to control the second set early on. A Schmedding kill made it 15-10 and then a 3-0 Tiger run was capped by a kill from 6-3 junior middle Ashlyn Reeves, 21-15. As expected, UNK fought back to tie things at 23 thanks to kills from Purdy and sophomore right side Brynn Stowell (Olathe, Kan.). The Lopers fought off a set point, but the Tigers got a combined block and ace to tie things at one. Over the final two sets, UNK hit .333 (18-4-42) to take the third and limit the Tigers to a -.029 mark (9-10-34) in the fourth. The Lopers came back from an early 8-5 hole in the third and never was really threatened after that.

Purdy (North Platte) reached her kill tally in 53 attempts; she had 20 kills in a 4-set win over UCO back in October. Next, Stowell (12 kills, .400 pct., five blocks & five digs) had a productive night as did Kansas senior outside Emilee Lane (14 kills). Finally, junior libero Ellie Spang (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) dug up 25 balls and had two of UNK's five aces.

For the Tigers, eight others had a kill besides Schmedding with junior Peyton Bergschneider at 12 digs.

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