COACHING STAFF

• Completed her 11th season as head coach at Northwest in 2023
• Became the winningest coach of Northwest Volleyball history with her 200th win
• Career record of 200-136 overall and 122-87 in MIAA play
• 2018, 2022 MIAA Coach of the Year award recipient
• Graduated from Graceland University and earned her master's degree from Northwest
• Served as a graduate assistant at Northwest in 2003 and 2004 under head coach Lori Slight.
• Previously coached at Alaska-Fairbanks and Graceland
• First-team all conference and all-region honors as a student-athlete

AT NORTHWEST

Amy (Phelps) Woerth was named the head volleyball coach at Northwest prior to the start of the 2013 season. She was the interim coach for the 2012 season.

Woerth has had 15 All-MIAA first team honorees, 13 second team honorees, two third team honorees and 19 honorable mention accolades at Northwest. In addition, 114 Northwest student-athletes have been named to the MIAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

Woerth earned her second MIAA Coach of the Year award in 2022 after leading the Bearcats to the program's first regular season MIAA championship. Woerth has coached a pair of MIAA Player of the Year recipients in Maddy Bruder (2018) and Alyssa Rezac (2022).

Northwest led all of NCAA Div. II volleyball with three AVCA All-America selections in 2022. Sophomore Payton Kirchhoefer earned second-team AVCA All-America honors for the second consecutive season. Junior Alyssa Rezac gained third-team AVCA All-America status in 2022. She was an honorable mention AVCA All-America choice in 2021. Junior Jaden Ferguson landed her first AVCA All-America selection with a third-team honor this season.

Woerth guided Northwest to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022 as the Bearcats went 24-7 overall. The Bearcats were No. 13 in the final AVCA Top 25 poll - marking the third time the program has been ranked in the final poll of the season.

Northwest surpassed the 20-win mark for the 18th time in program history in 2022. It is the fifth 20-win season in six years for the 'Cats. Northwest has recorded four consecutive 20-win seasons, which is the longest stretch since the Bearcats had six straight 20-win seasons from 1980-1985. The 24 wins this season ranks tied for the 11th-most in a single season in Bearcat history.

The Bearcat volleyball squad began the 2021 season having reached the NCAA Tournament once in program history, all the way back in 2010. Under head coach Amy Woerth the Bearcats had secured 20 wins in three of the previous four seasons but had been snubbed when it came time for the NCAA postseason. In 2021, the Bearcats climbed into the top-10 rankings and remained in that high perch to secure the program’s second NCAA Tournament bid. Northwest earned the No. 3 seed in the Central Region and took part in the NCAA Tournament in Warrensburg, Mo.

In a season of firsts, it came as no surprise on Oct. 15 when the Bearcats were able to knock off their first No. 1-ranked foe in Washburn. The Bearcats scored a five-set win over the top-ranked Ichabods in Hughes Fieldhouse. Northwest would go on to defeat Washburn again when the Ichabods were No. 2 in the country to complete a season sweep of the group from Topeka, Kan., for the first time since 1999.

In the regular season, Northwest posted its first-ever win at Nebraska-Kearney and pulled off its first season sweep of Central Oklahoma.

Northwest recorded a school-best 17 MIAA wins, besting the previous mark of 14 wins in the 2018 season. Northwest concluded the MIAA regular season with a record of 17-3 and tied for second place in the league standings with Washburn – one game out of first place.

Redshirt freshman outside hitter Payton Kirchhoefer became only the third Bearcat to be named MIAA Freshman of the Year.

For the first time in program history, the Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team has two American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division II All-America selections. Kirchhoefer and sophomore setter Alyssa Rezac were each recognized for their outstanding play during the 2021 season as AVCA All-America picks. Kirchhoefer earned second-team AVCA All-America status, while Rezac tallied honorable mention AVCA All-America honors.

The Northwest volleyball squad was able to play a spring season after having its fall 2020 season canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bearcats took full advantage of their spring season and put together a record of 14-3 and a final national ranking of No. 14 in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll.

Northwest used an eight-match win streak to the reach the MIAA Spring Tournament championship match against Nebraska-Kearney. The Lopers won the opening two sets only to have the Bearcats rally to force a fifth set. Northwest held an 11-9 lead in the decisive set, but UNK rallied for a 15-13 triumph to take the tournament title.

Earlier in the spring, Northwest had recorded a 3-0 sweep of UNK – marking the first victory for the Bearcats over the Lopers since Oct. 27, 1990. Northwest put together a perfect 5-0 record in Bearcat Arena in the spring, which included triumphs over Washburn, Missouri Southern, Missouri Western, Park and Nebraska-Kearney.

Woerth had four of her players earn MIAA Spring All-Tournament team honors in Jaden Ferguson, Hannah Koechl, Alyssa Rezac and Morgan Lewis. Northwest had nine student-athletes earn MIAA all-academic status.

Woerth led Northwest to the program's first back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2019. Northwest's 21-win campaign in 2019 was the third 20-win season in four years.

The Bearcats reached as high as No. 10 in the AVCA Top 25 poll in 2019 marking the highest ranking in program history. Northwest reached No. 10 on Sept. 30 and Oct. 7. Northwest was ranked in 12 of the AVCA's Top 25 polls in 2019 - giving the Bearcats 21 rankings in program history.

Northwest's 13 MIAA wins in 2019 were the second-most league wins in program history. Last season, Northwest registered a school-record 14 MIAA victories. Each of the last three seasons, Northwest has produced the three-highest MIAA win totals in school history with 11 in 2017, 14 in 2018 and 13 in 2019.

The Bearcats have won 15 road matches in the last two seasons – the highest two-year road success mark in program history.

Junior Hallie Sidney became Northwest's second AVCA All-America pick in 2019. Sidney earned first-team all-MIAA honors as well.

Under the direction of MIAA coach of the year, the 2018 Bearcat volleyball team tallied 22 wins. It was the 15th 20-win season in school history but only the second 20-win season since 1999. Northwest earned the No. 4 seed in the MIAA Tournament after securing a school-record 14 league victories. In MIAA regular season play, Northwest knocked off Washburn on the road in a three-set victory. The Ichabods would eventually reach the national semifinals. The win at Washburn was the first time Northwest had scored a sweep on the road against the Ichabods.

Senior Maddy Bruder, a senior from Firth, Nebraska, became the first Bearcat in program history to earn American Volleyball Coaches Association first-team all-America honors. Bruder also claimed the MIAA Player of the Year award. Bruder led the MIAA in kills per set (4.26), while compiling a team-best 17 double-doubles.

Bruder was joined on the all-MIAA first team by senior middle hitter Sofia Schleppenbach (Dallas, Texas) and sophomore setter Maddy Ahrens (Appleton, Wisconsin). Senior libero Oliva Nowakowski (Kansas City, Missouri) and sophomore outside hitter Hallie Sidney (Chesterfield, Missouri) secured second-team all-MIAA honors.

Bruder became the first Northwest player to be a four-time first-team all-MIAA performer. Jill Quast (1998-2000) and Kelly Greenlee (1983-1985) had been the only other previous three-time first-team all-MIAA honorees before Bruder bested them with her fourth straight first-team tag in 2018.

In 2017, Bruder became the third Northwest volleyball player named to the All-MIAA first team for the third consecutive season. The Bearcats posted a 17-15 record for the program's third straight winning season - marking the first time since 2000 that NW had produced three winning seasons in a row.

The 2016 season featured multiple highlights. The team started the year on a 15-match win streak, the longest streak since the 1984 season. On Oct. 24, the Bearcats received the highest AVCA ranking in program history, checking in at No. 16 nationally. Bruder became the first Northwest player to earn back-to-back All-MIAA first team honors since Jill Quast accomplished the feat three times from 1998-2000.

The 2015 Bearcats earned the MIAA Tournament's No. 7 seed, going 15-14 overall and 8-10 in conference play. Bruder was named First Team All-MIAA. In 2013, Woerth's team qualified for the MIAA tournament, going 12-18 overall. Brooke Bartosh earned third-team All-MIAA honors.

After serving one season as an assistant coach under Jessica Rinehart, Woerth was tabbed Interim on July 12, 2012. Inheriting a young team that included three seniors, three juniors, seven sophomores and six freshman, Northwest earned a berth in the MIAA Postseason Tournament as a six seed before falling to Central Missouri in the first round.

Additionally, two Bearcats earned All-MIAA honors in her first season, as senior Tori Beckman earned first-team honors and sophomore Bartosh was named to the third-team. Beckman also capped one of the best defensive seasons ever at Northwest setting the single season record for digs with 716.

Woerth returned to Northwest in 2011 as an assistant coach for the Bearcats after a six-year absence from Maryville. She spent the 2003 and 2004 season as a graduate assistant under head coach Lori Slight.

In her time at Northwest, Woerth has been the top recruiter and director for all Bearcat volleyball camps as well as working primarily with the setters and middle hitters. The Holden, Mo., received her masters from Northwest in 2005 with a degree in physical education and an emphasis in sports administration.

PRIOR TO NORTHWEST
Woerth spent six seasons at Alaska-Fairbanks as an assistant coach during the 2005 and 2006 season before being elevated to associate head coach from 2007-2010. She helped coach 10 All-Conference honorees in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and 31 GNAC Academic All-Conference student-athletes. Under Woerth the Nanooks also earned one GNAC Newcomer of the Year and one GNAC Freshman of the Year.

Her coaching career began in 2001 at her alma mater, Graceland University, where she assisted with both the men’s and women’s teams. In 2002 the Lady Jackets were Region V finalists and qualified for the NAIA National Championships.

During her time as a player, Woerth earned first-team all-conference and all-region honors and was named an honorable mention NAIA All-American as well as an NAIA All-American Scholar-Athlete. Her team won both the regular season and postseason titles in the Heart of America Conference and she served as a co-captain.

Woerth graduated from Graceland in 2003 with a double major in health and wellness and program management. Woerth and her husband Brandon currently reside in Maryville and have two sons, Maddux and Eli.

Nick Sepulveda

Nick Sepulveda will serve as an assistant coach for the Bearcat volleyball squad.

Sepulveda recently completed a two-year stint as a graduate assistant men's volleyball coach at William Penn University. Sepulveda earned his Master’s of Sports Management degree at William Penn.

At William Penn, the Statesmen reached the national semifinals in 2024. He helped guide the squad to the 2024 co-regular season title in the Heart of America Conference. In his time at William Penn, Sepulveda coached five all-Americans, five all-conference performers, the conference player of the year and the league's middle blocker of the year.

Sepulveda is a 2021 graduate of Judson University with a degree in Exercise and Sport Science. He competed in men’s volleyball for four years at JU and was part of the first team in program history.

Sepulveda, who played prep ball at Maine West High School in Illinois, has previous coaching experience with the Sky High Volleyball Club’s beach and indoor teams.

Sepulveda is a native of Des Plaines, Ill.