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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western volleyball continues its push toward making the MIAA post-season tournament with three MIAA matches this week.
The Griffons will travel to Kearney, Neb. on Tuesday, October 22 play 9
th ranked Nebraska-Kearney. The Griffons will open up a seven game home stand to end the regular season against Pittsburg State on Thursday, October 24 followed by a Saturday tilt against 11
th ranked Washburn. The Griffons are currently tied for sixth place in the MIAA with a 4-4 record in MIAA play and are 11-11 overall.
About Western: The Griffons have been able to win multiple matches this season despite starting several different players due to injuries. No player has started all 22 matches this year, but four players –
Erica Rottinghaus,
Amanda Boender,
Erin Backhuus and
Lindsey Partridge – have played in every match. Rottinghaus, a transfer from Highland Community College, leads the team with 281 kills and a 3.23 kills per set average. She has added 285 digs and 29 total blocks as well to show her versatility.
Kelsey Olion, a freshman from Champaign, Ill., has stepped in nicely over the past month. She's accumulated 174 kills in just seven starts. Leading the team with 496 assists is junior
Kelly Scannell. Another player with just seven starts, Scannell had a career-high 67 set assists against Central Oklahoma. The 67 assists is the most by a Griffon since 2009.
About Kearney: The Lopers are coming off a 3-1 loss to Lindenwood. Currently, No. 4 in the MIAA and 9
th in the latest AVCA poll, Nebraska-Kearney has a 4-2 MIAA record with an 18-3 overall record.
Leading the team with 256 kill is Ashley Leitner. She has started 20 matches averaging 3.88 kills per set. Bailey Sokolowski has a team-high 65 total blocks with 137 kills to place second on the team.
About Pittsburg: The Gorillas are 3-5 in the MIAA and are 12-10 overall. They are currently tied for eighth in the MIAA, which puts them in position for a post-season berth.
Led by Crystal Whitten, Pitt State has won six straight matches. Whitten has a team-high 293 kills and averages 3.76 kills per set. Jordan Rehm has 403 digs to lead the Gorillas. She averages 5.17 digs a set which is second in the MIAA.
About Washburn: Central Missouri defeated Washburn 3-0 last Saturday ending the Ichabods' 13-match winning streak. The Ichabods are currently second in the MIAA with a 7-1 record and are 20-4 overall.
They are led by a number of players, including Marissa Cox who has 309 kills this season. Right behind her with 274 is Leanna Willer. Leading the team with an MIAA-high 912 assists is Abby Wittman. She has started all 24 matches while posting most of the assists along with 40 kills for the Ichabods.
