Jessica Hendrix collected 13 kills as Missouri Western challenged no. 3 Central Missouri
Mak Rinehart
3
Winner Central Mo. CentMo 17-2,10-1 Mid-America Intercollegiate
2
Missouri Western MW 12-9,4-8 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Central Mo. CentMo
17-2,10-1 Mid-America Intercollegiate
3
Final
2
Missouri Western MW
12-9,4-8 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Central Mo. CentMo 23 19 25 25 15 (3)
Missouri Western MW 25 25 19 19 9 (2)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | John Roushkolb

Griffons Push No. 3 Central Missouri To The Brink But Fall 3-2

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Through two and a half sets on Tuesday night, Missouri Western looked more deserving of the no. 3 spot in the AVCA poll than Central Missouri. The Griffons weren't able to maintain the momentum, however, falling 3-2 (23-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-9) to the Jennies. Three Griffons finished with double-digit kills on the night, with Ali Tauchen picking up 17 and Karly Tharp and Jessica Hendrix each clocking 13.
The teams were even through the first half of the opening set, before Central Missouri opened up a 19-13 lead. A cross court kill by Danielle Moje sparked an 8-2 run by the Griffons to tie the set at 21-21, and Missouri Western was able to finish off the first set 25-23.
Energized by the emphatic set-winning block from Tharp and Tauchen, Missouri Western led wire-to-wire in the second set. Zari Montgomery highlighted a six-point run for the Griffons with two service aces to open up a 10-4 lead, and MWSU held the Jennies comfortably at arms length to win the second set 25-19.
Central Missouri was able to rebound briefly in the third set and despite a valiant comeback attempt by Missouri Western, the Jennies held on for a 25-19 win to pull within 2-1 in the match.
Missouri Western jumped out to a 6-3 lead to open the fourth set but were dealt a huge blow as Jenna Boland was forced to leave the match at 6-5 after landing awkwardly from a diving dig attempt.
Central Missouri continued its brief spurt to take a 10-7 lead, but the Griffons were able to answer with a five-point run of their own to reclaim the lead at 12-10. Missouri Western was able to hold the lead through 16-14, but couldn't recover after an 8-0 run by Central Missouri as the Jennies took the fourth set 25-19 and the fifth set 15-9.
Missouri Western finished the match hitting at a .190 pace, with 58 total kills, while the Jennies collected 70 kills behind a .222 hitting percentage. Montgomery handed out 27 assists for MWSU, with Boland tallying 16. Tharp posted a double-double on the night, with 13 digs to go with 13 kills. Hailey Crane led the Griffons with 28 digs in the match.
The Griffons hit the road for their next two matches, with a rematch at Missouri Southern first on the docket. First serve for Friday's match is set for 6 p.m.
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