DENVER, Colo. - The No. 21 Griffon Volleyball team won four sets during pool play, Friday, at the Colorado Premier Challenge, but it was the first one that counted. Missouri Western won its pool by virtue of four set victories on the first day of the elite NCAA Division II event. 

Missouri Western's set one win in a 3-1 loss to No. 10 Regis ended up being the difference maker. The Griffons swept Angelo State in their afternoon match before Angelo State swept Regis in an evening match. Missouri Western was the only team in pool three to win four sets on the day, breaking a tie and sending the Griffons into the Gold Bracket where they'll face No. 8 Southwest Minnesota State at 12:30 p.m. CST on Saturday. Southwest Minnesota State, which hosted the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships last year, defeated Colorado Christian and Saint Leo on Friday.

No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul and No. 14 Central Missouri won the other two pools on Friday. A win for the Griffons against Southwest Minnesota State would pit Missouri Western against the winner of the Concordia-St. Paul versus Central Missouri match at 8 p.m., Saturday. A loss against Southwest Minnesota State and the Griffons would play for third in their bracket at 5 p.m. Should Central Missouri and Missouri Western both lose their first matches Friday, they would likely be spit apart into different third-place matches due to a conference clause at the Colorado Premier Challenge.