ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western Volleyball continued its hot streak beating Northwest Missouri State 3-2, sweeping Missouri Southern State University and eventually handing Central Oklahoma its first loss of the season 3-1. The Griffons are now 11-3 on the year with a record of 5-1 in conference tying them for first place.
Scouting the Griffons - Last week, Missouri Western dispatched Missouri Southern (25-19, 25-20, 25-17) for their third sweep in the last four MIAA matches. The Griffons
Amanda Boender turned an impressive performance hitting .750 with 12 kills and no attack errors. MWSU then visited unbeaten Central Oklahoma winning in the fourth set to down the Bronchos. Missouri Western clinched the victory with their backs to the wall in set four. The Griffons trailed 24-21 before pulling even with the Bronchos on three straight points that included two
Jordan Chohon kills. MWSU was down to its last chance once again at 27-26, but rallied for the last three points of the set to take the match.
The Griffons balanced offense has been the vocal point to the team success so far this year. Thorup and Rottinghaus each average over 3.40 kills per set to lead the team.
Amanda Boender is the team leader in attack percentage with .362 and ranks in the top-5 of the MIAA. Defensively,
Sarah Faubel continues to lead the team with 3.44 digs per set along with Rottinghaus and
Kelsey Olion each adding at least two per set.
As a team, Missouri Western still sits atop the MIAA in hit percentage hitting a collective .278. MWSU also sits fourth in assist per set with a 12.88 average.
Scouting the Bearcats- The Bearcats come into the weekend with 6-8 overall record and a 1-5 conference record.
Last week, SBU went 0-2 with losses to Fort Hays State University (1-3) and University of Nebraska-Kearney (0-3). The Bearcats are led by Taryn Marton and Kalyn Sotomayor as the top two attackers. Kelsey Fankhauser is the team leader in assist per set averaging 9.41.
SBU leads the MIAA in service aces through their 14 games averaging 1.59 per set. Southwest Baptist however struggles on the attack averaging a .142 percentage.
Scouting the Gorillas- Pittsburg State post a record of 5-9 overall and 2-4 in the MIAA heading into the weekend.
The Gorillas last week faced University of Nebraska-Kearney (2-3) but couldn't hang on for the win after losing the last two sets. They were able to get back on track picking up a win (3-2) against Fort Hays State on Saturday. Madi Mosier is the leader for PSU with a 3.56 kill per set average and totally 210 throughout this year. On defense, Ashlen Schwartz averages 4.14 digs per set placing her seventh in the conference.
Pittsburg State ranks fifth in the conference in hitting percentage averaging .215 and sit eighth in kills per set with a 12.26 average. Defensively, the Gorillas average just over two blocks per set ranking them fourth.
Current MIAA Standings| SCHOOL | CONF | CPCT. | OVERALL | PCT. | STREAK |
|---|
| Central Oklahoma | 5-1 | 0.833 | 13-1 | 0.929 | L1 |
| Nebraska Kearney | 5-1 | 0.833 | 13-1 | 0.929 | W4 |
| Washburn | 5-1 | 0.833 | 13-1 | 0.929 | W3 |
| Missouri Western | 5-1 | 0.833 | 11-3 | 0.786 | W5 |
| Central Missouri | 5-1 | 0.833 | 8-6 | 0.571 | L1 |
| Northwest Missouri | 3-3 | 0.500 | 6-8 | 0.429 | W1 |
| Fort Hays State | 2-4 | 0.333 | 7-7 | 0.500 | L1 |
| Pittsburg State | 2-4 | 0.333 | 5-9 | 0.357 | W1 |
| Emporia State | 1-5 | 0.167 | 5-6 | 0.455 | W1 |
| Southwest Baptist | 1-5 | 0.167 | 6-8 | 0.429 | L3 |
| Lindenwood | 1-5 | 0.167 | 4-10 | 0.286 | L4 |
| Missouri Southern | 1-5 | 0.167 | 4-10 | 0.286 | L2 |
Match DetailsLive stats can be found
hereA Look AheadThe Griffons will travel to Fort Hays on Friday, Oct. 10 with a start time of 7 p.m. and head to take on Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.
