JOPLIN, Mo. — Griffon Volleyball started this weekend's homestand off hot, sweeping Newman Friday evening thanks to a career night from Katherine White at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

White sent home a career-high 17 kills, cracking open the record books along the way. She is now tied for second with six other Griffons in kills within a three-set match. She also notched a new career-high with 17.5 points.

SET 1
MWSU 25, NEWMAN 18
It was apparent from the get-go the Griffons (5-10, 2-5 MIAA) were going to take a stranglehold on Friday's match during set one, taking a commanding 9-3 lead early on. White did over a quarter of her damage in the first set, collecting six kills to complement Danielle Moje's five successful attacks. Newman outside hitter Riley Daugherty came into the match second in the MIAA with 204 kills and recorded six more in the first set.

The Jets (7-10, 2-5 MIAA) rattled off a 4-0 run to bring the game with three, but the Griffons kept pace and finished off the first round with two knockout blows by Moje to win, 25-18.

SET 22
MWSU 25, NEWMAN 23
While the Griffons kept Daughtery's numbers down with only two kills thanks to four team blocks, Newman can't say the same about White's second-set tallies. The Griffon junior attacked 11 more times, finding eight kills while recording an attack percentage of 72%. Yanni Washington and Moje also provided three kills apiece to help the Griffons keep their balance after falling behind, 6-1. 

A 5-0 run by MWSU gave the Griffons a temporary lead, as Newman jimmied it way back in front with its own 5-0 spurt. Deadlocked at 22-22, White started a 3-0 run with her 12th kill and eventually ended the match with lucky No. 13, giving the Griffons the 25-23 win. 

SET 3
MWSU 25, NEWMAN 22
A quick 4-0 jump by Newman kept the Griffons off the board early, but back-to-back kills from Lily Kurz and Moje followed up by a service ace from Kurz swung momentum back towards Missouri Western's way. The Griffons used two 3-0 advances to tie the game and eventually take lead on two separate occasions, nullifying any Newman advantage. Newman was on its way to tie the set at 21-21 and complete its own 3-0 run, but a Nessa Johnson kill kept Newman at bay.

Eventually knotted at 22-22 with Newman again on the verge of three-straight points, MWSU turned the tide with three consecutive points of its own. Washington gave the Griffons its final lead a 23-22 with her 11th and final kill, setting up White's 17th and final kill that rewrote Griffon Volleyball's record book and slammed the door shut on Newman.

NOTABLES

• Friday marks MWSU's third 3-0 sweep of the season.
• The Griffons have won back-to-back home matches for the first time in 2022, putting them at 2-2 inside the Fieldhouse.
• This is MWSU's first MIAA sweep.
• With 47 kills on 146 attempts, the Griffons recorded a new season-high of 24%. 
• Missouri Western matched a season-high with 12 triple blocks and set a season-high with seven solo blocks, spearheaded by Kurz's total of three. Emma Salker had two. 
• Despite beating Newman, MWSU still sits in 9th place in the conference, while the Jets idle above at eighth.
• Three Griffons earned double-digit kills: 17 by White; 12 by Moje; and 10 by Washington.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western gets back to work just 18 hours later with a 2 p.m. matchup vs. Central Oklahoma (16-2, 6-2 MIAA) back inside the Looney Complex. The second-place Bronchos are coming off a 3-1 upset win over No. 18 Central Missouri in Warrensburg. It's UCO's second win vs. a top-25 opponent in as many weeks, as the Bronchos beat then No. 6 Washburn, 3-1, on Sept. 22.