EMPORIA, Kan. -- Danielle Moje blasted a career-high 13 kills with a .545 hitting percentage and the Griffons out-hit Emporia State .264-.201 across the match, but Missouri Western fell 3-1 (28-26, 15-25, 25-20, 25-23) to close out the regular season on Saturday. Karly Tharp added 12 kills and 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the season in the loss.

Missouri Western jumped out to a 9-3 lead to open the match, but Emporia State slowly closed the gap, highlighted by a five-point run to pull within 11-9.

After the Hornets battled back to tie the set at 23-23, The Griffons managed three straight set point opportunities. A Tharp kill put MWSU up 24-23, then a deft shot from Tharp gave MWSU a 25-24 lead. An attack error from Leah Mach gave the Griffons a 26-25 edge, but Mach was able to tie the game with a kill and capitalize on a block that gave ESU its first set point opportunity at 26-25, picking up the set-winning kill on the next point.

The Griffons raced out to a 13-6 lead in the second set, and withstood a four-point Emporia State run to tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-15 second set win. Missouri Western hit a match-high .471 in the set, with 18 kills against two errors in 34 swings.

After the strong hitting performance in the second set, the Griffons fell off the pace in the third as Emporia State found their stride. The Hornets hit .273 in the third set compared to MWSU's .163 and retook a 2-1 match lead with a 25-20 set win.

The fourth set was marked by big runs from each team, but it ultimately came down to a pair of service errors. Emporia State worked its way to match point at 24-22 and took the match win.

Missouri Western finishes the regular season 14-15, with a 6-14 record in the MIAA. The Griffons earned the no. 8 seed in the 2021 MIAA Volleyball Championship and will take on no. 1 seed Central Missouri on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.