ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Griffon Volleyball takes on Nebraska-Kearney in the first round of the MIAA tournament on Thursday at 12 p.m. inside Civic Arena.
The Griffons (11-17, 8-12 MIAA) face a tough task, playing the No. 2 seeded and No. 12-ranked Nebraska-Kearney (24-6, 16-4 MIAA). The Loper's only conference losses this season have come against ranked teams.
Last time out, Missouri Western earned their first victory over a ranked team this season and the first for the program since its historic 2017 season. The Griffons beat No. 17 Washburn, 3-1, on Saturday to claim the No. 7 seed in the MIAA tournament.
Missouri Western is led by All-MIAA First Teamer
Danielle Moje, who is in 11th in the MIAA in hitting percentage and 14th in overall kills.
Nessa Johnson is in eighth in the conference with 821 assists, while
Lily Kurz has the sixth most blocks per set in the league. Johnson also leads the Griffons with 17 double-doubles and two triple-doubles, racking up three double-doubles in a row to round out the regular season.
Lia Graham's team leading four digs a set is good for ninth in the MIAA, and Moje sits in 12th in the conference with 3.36 points per set.
Earlier this season when the two conference foes met, the Lopers took down the Griffons in three sets in Kearney. The score may not have done the game justice, however, as the Griffons were tied with UNK in the first two sets at 23-23.
The last Griffon win in the MIAA Tournament came in the spring season of 2021, when MWSU defeated Emporia State, 3-1. Not including the spring season that the Griffons played in 2020/21, the last win in the MIAA Tournament was in 2017, when the Griffons defeated Washburn and then Central Oklahoma, before falling in the conference championship game.
SCOUTING UNK
The Lopers are led by Emersen Cyza, whose 393 kills are third best in the conference. Jensen Rowse has 518 digs, good for fifth in the MIAA, and Peyton Neff's 1,150 assists puts her in second place in the conference. Overall, Cyza has 418.5 points on the season, placing her in third overall in the MIAA.
Over the years, the Griffons haven't found much success against the Lopers with an all-time record of 14-44-1. The last MWSU win over then. No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney came in the NCAA Regionals in Minnesota, where the Griffons won in four sets in 2017 to claim their first ever win in the NCAA Tournament.
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
Should the Griffons beat UNK on Thursday, they would face the winner of No. 3 Central Missouri and No. 6 Pittsburg State at 5 p.m. on Friday. The championship game is slated to start at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
All games will take place at Civic Arena in historic downtown St. Joseph. Tickets can be purchased online, and the tournament will be streamed on the MIAA Network.
