Live Stats

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western plays its final home match Thursday night. The Griffons take on Southwest Baptist to close out the regular season schedule. The game is set for 7 p.m.
 
About MWSU: Missouri Western clinched an MIAA Tournament berth with its victory over Lindenwood last weekend. The 3-1 win put the Griffons at 15-14 and 8-7 overall. Erica Rottinghaus leads the team with 368 kills, which ranks second in the MIAA overall. Kelsey Olion sits right behind Rottinghaus with 262 kills on the year.
 
On defense, Amanda Boender and Sarah Faubel have done exceptionally well this year. Boender has 118 blocks which ranks fifth in the MIAA and first on the team. Faubel continued her role as a libero. The three-year starter has 477 digs ranking her first on the team. Rottinghaus has balanced her offensive attack with 353 digs. Faubel's 477 digs is a career high.
 
About SBU: The Bearcats are 17-12 overall and 6-8 in the MIAA. Currently the No. 7 seed in the standings, a win Thursday night will clinch an MIAA post-season berth. The Bearcats have won their past two matches, including a 3-0 sweep against Missouri Southern. Before that, they defeated Lindenwood 3-2. This is the second meeting between the two schools this year. Southwest Baptist defeated Missouri Western on its home court on Oct. 5 by a score of 3-0.
 
Leading the Bearcats is Nikki Madoch, who has a team-high 234 kills. Along with her, Jordan Nedbalek has 226 to place second. Nedbalek leads the conference with 143 blocks, and the Bearcats have an MIAA-high 2.67 blocks per set, a total of 190 this season. After Thursday night's match, the Bearcats close out the regular season with a trip to Maryville, Mo. to take on Northwest Missouri State.
 
Next Up: The Griffons will play on Oct. 19 in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. The time and opponent has yet to be determined.