ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Griffons are back in action at home for the first time since Oct. 1 and look to take down two conference opponents, as Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern come to the MWSU Fieldhouse.
The Griffons (6-13, 3-8 MIAA) head into this weekend with multiple athletes in the top ten statistically in the MIAA in multiple categories.
Lily Kurz sits sixth in the conference in blocks with .94 a set.
Nessa Johnson is in eighth with 7.7 assists per set.
Danielle Moje is just outside the top ten in points per set, with her 3.22 good enough for 13th in the conference.
Missouri Western is up to ninth in the conference after a weekend where they took a set from No. 10 Washburn, then took down Emporia State in a dominant 3-1 win.
10/14 - SCOUTING PITTSBURG STATE
The 84th meeting between Pittsburg State (12-9, 6-6 MIAA) and MWSU starts at 6 p.m. on Friday. The Griffons lead the all-time series 58-24-1, with the two teams also playing to a tie in 1981. Missouri Western is 7-3 in the last ten meetings, but Pittsburg State has won the last two games, including a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 17 in Pittsburg, Kansas. Historically, the Griffons have been nothing short of dominant at home against the Gorillas, with MWSU going 22-5 against Pitt inside the Looney Complex.
Pittsburg State is fifth in opponent digs, and that is due in part to its 12.76 kills per set. Janae Thurston leads the Gorillas with 207 kills on the season. Meg Auten is second with 193. Auten has played 11 less sets, and her 3.22 kills per set is good for fifth in the MIAA. Brianna Richard is third in the conference with 10.57 assists per set.
10/15 - SCOUTING MISSOURI SOUTHERN
The Griffons have only lost two times to Missouri Southern (9-11, 4-7 MIAA) since 2010, but one of those losses came earlier this season in a 3-2 loss in Joplin. Amelia Neels is third in the conference with a 36.6% hitting percentage. Fernanda Canedo is 10th with 2.95 kills per set. Sophie Mader is eighth with .33 aces per set.
Missouri Western is 22-7 all-time at home against the Lions and are 67-29-2 all-time against Missouri Southern. The 99th all-time meeting gets started at 3 p.m. on Saturday. A win would pull the Griffons level with MSSU in the conference standings, with the Lions only being ahead in overall record.
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON VOLLEYBALL HISTORY: OCT.14-15
October 14, 2014, saw Griffon Volleyball sweep the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State out of Looney in dominant fashion. Jessie Thorup led the Griffons with eight kills, while Amanda Boender had six blocks. October 15, is a date that has very rarely seen a Griffon Volleyball match, and the few that it has seen have been against almost exclusively ranked opposition. in 1997, the Griffons went to Kirksville, Missouri, where they took down Truman, 3-2.
PINK WEEK IS HERE
In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Griffon Athletic Department is helping raise awareness by giving out Pink Week shirts at all Griffon home events this weekend. Fans should be on the lookout for these shirts whenever they enter the MWSU Fieldhouse or Spratt Stadium.
