ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Amidst a two-match slide, Griffon Volleyball prepares for weekend competition in a mixed slate at No. 12 Washburn on Friday night and at Emporia State during Saturday evening.

Heading into Friday and Saturday's bout, Missouri Western as a team is ranked fourth in digs per set with 17.15, led by Lia Graham's team-high 247 digs that has her 8th in the MIAA. Nessa Johnson's 178 puts her in 18th place. Danielle Moje's 161 kills are the 12th most in the conference, while Lily Kurz's 58 blocks is good for fifth. 

The 10th-place Griffons most recently lost on Tuesday at No. 23 Central Missouri, 3-0. Prior to that, MWSU split a weekend homestand defeating Newman and losing to Central Oklahoma in three sets each match,

10/7 - SCOUTING NO. 12 WASHBURN - 14-3 (6-3 MIAA)
Heading into the 85th all-time meeting on Friday at 6 p.m., MWSU leads Washburn in the series, 44-41. Washburn, however, has gained ground with five-straight wins and is dominant within the friendly confines of Lee Arena, holding a 22-6 record against the Griffons in Topeka, Kansas, and is 8-2 vs. the Griffons in the last 10 meetings. Washburn is currently fifth in the MIAA standings, falling from eighth to 12 in the AVCA Top-25 poll after defeating No. Nebraska-Kearney in five sets on Tuesday.

The Ichabods have given up the 10th-least kills in the MIAA, holding teams to just 747 so far this season. Middle hitter Halle Meister is second in the conference with a hinting percentage of 38.2%, followed by teammates Kealy Klviniemi (34%; seventh) and Kassidy Pfeiffer (33.8; eighth). Outsider hitter Jalyn Stevenson is ninth in the MIAA with 182 kills, while defensive specialist Sophie McMullen leads the league with 30 service aces.

10/9 - SCOUTING EMPORIA STATE - 4-14 (1-8 MIAA)
With a 7 p.m. first serve scheduled for Saturday, recent history leans in favor of MWSU, as the Griffons lead Hornets 48-39-1 in the all-time series and is 6-4 against ESU in the last 10 matches. When it comes to playing in Emporia, Kansas, though, the Hornets are 18-6 when they play the Griffons at W.L. White Auditorium. Emporia won last season's meeting in four sets to break a three-game losing streak to MWSU.

The Hornets sit in last place in the MIAA standings are last in the following team categories: hitting percentage (14.5%); opponent hitting percentage (24.7%); and opponent blocks per set (2.11). Emporia's leaders on the court include Leah Mach and Shelby Ebert. Mach's 195 kills are good enough for seventh in the MIAA, while Ebert's 29 service aces are second. Megan Stretton is seventh in the conference with 294 digs.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON VOLLEYBALL HISTORY - 10/7 & 10/8
Oct. 7 of 2016 was a good day for Griffon Nation, as Missouri Western took down No. 11 Central Missouri in a five-set thriller at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Three Griffons recoded double-digit kills that day, led by a match-high 13 from Stephanie Doak. 

The Griffons have played very sparingly on Oct. 8, but the 1988 season saw them play three times that day at the CSIC Round Robin with 2-0 win over St. Ambrose, 2-1 loss vs. Emporia State and 2-0 loss to Nebraska-Wesleyan. The tournament was hosted by Wayne State in Detroit, Michigan.