ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Volleyball takes on Northwest Missouri State on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The Griffons started 2-1 in the first week of MIAA competition tying them for third place with four teams.

Scouting the Griffons – The Griffons are currently 8-3 on the season and hold a 2-1 MIAA record. The Griffons swept Emporia State, Friday, led by Jessie Thorup who hit a staggering .773 and recorded 17 kills. On Saturday, undefeated and #5 Washburn didn't fare much better getting swept by the Griffons. Missouri Western relied on four different players posting at least eight kills.

It was the first time MWSU beat Washburn since Nov. 9 2001 and the Griffons first win over a ranked team since 2009. Missouri Western had not topped a top-10 team since 2005 when they defeated No. 10 Central Missouri.

The Griffons are led by Jessie Thorup and Erica Rottinghaus offensively, each averaging over 3.40 kills per set. Jordan Chohon has helped the offense be more effective, dishing out 11.60 kills per set. On defense, Sarah Faubel leads the Griffons tallying 3.62 digs per set. Faubel now has 1,517 digs in her career, just 48 off the MWSU record held by Sarah Eckdahl.

As a team, Missouri Western tops the MIAA in hitting percentage with .286 and is holding opponents to a .194 hitting percentage. The Griffons rank fifth in blocks, totaling 82 on the season and average 2.05 per set.

Scouting the Bearcats – Northwest Missouri holds a record of 5-6 on the season and have a record of 2-1 in MIAA competition. The Bearcats opened MIAA play with a 3-2 win over Lindenwood University. Washburn went to Maryville on Friday and handed Northwest Missouri 3-1 loss. The next day Emporia State was unable to handle the Bearcats, losing 3-2.

Miranda Foster is the leader on offense recording 3.62 kills per set. The Bearcats run much of their offense through Sarah Dannettell, who is leading the team with 10.02 assists per set. Bailey Vance is the leader on defense leading the team in digs per set.

Current MIAA Standings
 

School	Conf	CPct.	Overall	Pct.	Streak
Central Oklahoma	3-0	1.000	11-0	1.000	W11
Central Missouri	3-0	1.000	6-5	0.545	W3
Nebraska Kearney	2-1	0.667	10-1	0.909	W1
Washburn	2-1	0.667	10-1	0.909	L1
Missouri Western	2-1	0.667	8-3	0.727	W2
Northwest Missouri	2-1	0.667	5-6	0.455	W1
Fort Hays State	1-2	0.333	6-5	0.545	L1
Southwest Baptist	1-2	0.333	6-5	0.545	W1
Lindenwood	1-2	0.333	4-7	0.364	L1
Pittsburg State	1-2	0.333	4-7	0.364	L2
Emporia State	0-3	0.000	4-4	0.500	L4
Missouri Southern	0-3	0.000	3-8	0.273	L5

 
Match Details
Live stats can be found here

A Look Ahead
Missouri Western will be on the road this weekend heading to take on Missouri Southern State University on Friday evening at 7 p.m. and University of Central Oklahoma on Saturday at 7 p.m.