SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Griffon Volleyball weaved itself back into the win column this weekend thanks to its first pair of sweeps this season, brooming away Lake Superior and Southwest Baptist to close out the SBU/Drury Invitational. 

MATCH 1
MWSU 3, LAKE SUPERIOR STATE 0
25-21, 25-19, 25-20

Griffon Volleyball set the tone in set one at the O'Rielly Family Event Center by ripping apart a 9-9 tie with Lake Superior with a 7-0 run. The Lakers (1-6) eventually came within one, but a four-kill set by Danielle Moje led the Griffons to a 25-21 victory. 

Leading by as much as seven in set two, Missouri Western kept LSS at arm's length for most of the match. Nessa Johnson found three kills and six assists in the set to keep momentum in MWSU's favor, giving the Griffons a 25-19 win.

The Lakers only led four times in set three, as MWSU built a firm 22-15 lead. Lily Kurz recorded her eighth and final kill to clinch the 25-20 set win and her team's first sweep of 2022.

Hailey Crane joined Kurz with eight kills in the first bout of the day. Avery McVicker (12), Lia Graham and Johnson (15) all found double-digit numbers in digs, while Kurz collected four blocks. 

MATCH 2    
MWSU 3, SBU 0
25-19, 25-17, 25-22

The Griffons handled the hometown hosts that are the Southwest Baptist Bearcats (3-4), beating them decisively in the first two sets. The first set was neck-and-neck for most of the game, as MWSU trailed 17-14 midway through the non-conference contest.

Eventually knotted at 18-18, back-to-back-to-back kills by Johnson, Crane and Johnson again sparked a 5-0 run. Another pair of consecutive kills by Johnson and Crane cemented set one for the Griffons, 25-19.

Trailing 4-1 early in set two, MWSU ripped off another 5-0 run to take a definite lead. Missouri Western tallied runs of 5-0, 4-0 and 6-0 to finalize a 25-17 decision, putting itself in position to go for its second sweep of the season.

Southwest Baptist stayed strong in set three, keeping pace with the Griffons and never trailing by more than three points. A 6-0 run by SBU put the Bearcats up, 13-9, but errors combined with successful attacks by Salker and Katherine White stalemated the game at 17-17.

Trading leads up until 22-22, Missouri Western put the final touches on a split trip to Springfield. A 4-0 run featuring a service ace by Crane and kills by Salker and White completed Saturday's  6-0 clean sweep of the competition.

Johnson led MWSU with 11 kills, while Emilee McGowan found a season-high three service aces. Graham, a freshman, matched a season-high in digs with 18 after logging a strong weekend that helped her creep over the century mark with a team-high of 107.

UP NEXT
After two-straight tournament weekends with matches against top-25 teams to start the season, MWSU (3-5) starts conference play with a 6 p.m. first-serve in Maryville, Missouri, against No. 10 Northwest Missouri (6-1). After battling the Bearcats, the Griffons come home for the first time at the Looney Complex for another conference — this time vs. No. 11 Central Missouri (2-4) at 2 p.m. on Saturday inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.