ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Griffon volleyball swept both matches in day one of the Lindenwood Last Minute Challenge. In the first match, MWSU swept Illinois Springfield (25-23, 25-21, 25-13) and swept St. Mary's (25-18, 25-22, 25-20) in the second match of the day. In the two matches, Missouri Western finished with 89 kills, 19 blocks and five service aces.
 
MORNING GLORY
Stephanie Doak hammered down 17 kills and hit .324 in the sweep of UIS. Her 17 kills are a new career-best and tied for the second most in a three-set match in program history. Doak's hitting percentage of .324 is also the second highest in her career.  In the sweep, Missouri Western as a team knocked in 44 kills, had a season-best hitting percentage of .327 and recorded five solo blocks, the most since Oct. 13, 2012.
 
LATE RALLIES FUEL LEADS
Down 22-21 in the first set of the opening match, Missouri Western outscored Illinois Springfield 5-1 to close out the set and take an early 1-0 match advantage. With a 22-20 second set lead, MWSU used a 4-1 rally to pull away from the Prairie Stars and take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
 
COMPLETE CONTROL
The Griffons had complete control against St. Mary's as they never trailed in the first two sets. MWSU wasted little time starting the match as it opened with an 11-2 run in the first set. The Rattlers led for only two points in the third set before Missouri Western answered with four straight points and would never trail again.
 
TAYLOR SHINES BRIGHT
Shellby Taylor led the Griffons with her season-high 14 kills and hit .481 in the second match. For the season, Taylor has three matches of at least 10 kills or more.
 
UP NEXT
Missouri Western (3-3) concludes the Lindenwood Last Minute Challenge with two games on Saturday, Sept. 9. MWSU opens play at 9 a.m. with University of Bridgeport and its final match is scheduled for 2 p.m. against West Texas A&M.