Missouri Western State University Athletics

Once again coached by Sumrell, the 1985 Griffons reached the 50-win mark for the second time in team history, going 54-11 and 13-1 in the CSIC, winning their fourth conference championship in six seasons. This season's batch of All-CSIC standouts included first-team hitter LeAnn Martens, first-team setter Lynn Umbach, honorable mention hitter Lynna Cochran and honorable mention hitter Brenda Nelson. Umbach and Martens took home All-American awards, with Umbach making the first team and Martens the second team.

Along the way to this historic season, the team faced national powers like Hawaii-Hilo and St. Mary's College (California) in Hawaii. In just their 11th-ever season, 1985 produced the Griffons' 10th campaign in a row with a winning record. Winning the District 16 Championship for the fifth consecutive season, Missouri Western made its fifth-straight NAIA National Tournament, tying for seventh place.