ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Hot off the heels of one of their biggest wins in recent memory, Missouri Western State Volleyball now hosts Emporia State and No. 25 Washburn this weekend at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can watch all Griffon Volleyball (16-7, 9-5 MIAA) matches for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network. Director of Athletic Communications Derek Zimmerman-Guyer will be on the call for both matches this weekend, with pregame starting 20 minutes before the first serve. Game admission can be found in the "Tickets" tab.

NOTABLES

• Missouri Western has won two in a row, sweeping Northwest Missouri State on Tuesday in Maryville, Missouri. This is MWSU's first win over Northwest since 2017.
• Leading MWSU with 244 kills, freshman outside hitter Holly Heldt is ninth in the league. Freshman right-side hitter Taylor Russell is 13th (215), senior middle hitter Danielle Moje is 18th (184) and sophomore middle hitter Emma Salker is 19th (174). Missouri Western has the most representation in the MIAA's top-20 kills list.
• Junior setter Nessa Johnson is third in the MIAA with 806 assists. Her 10.47 assists per set rank third in the conference.
• Missouri Western is holding opponents to a .142 hitting percentage, the best mark in the MIAA.
• Opponents have only recorded 799 assists vs. MWSU, the second least in the conference.
• The Griffons have given up the second-least number of kills in the MIAA with 879 against them.
• With 129 blocks given up, the Griffons are the least-blocked team in the MIAA.
• Freshman libero Anna Weberg is second in the MIAA with 411 digs and is second with 5.34 per set. Heldt is 14th with 258 digs and 13th with 3.35 per set. Johnson is 17th at 244 digs and 16th at 3.17 per set.
• Weberg's 5.24 digs per set rank her 14th in Division II.
• Junior middle hitter Lily Kurz is fourth in the MIAA With 78 blocks and is third with 12 solo blocks.
• Missouri Western is fourth in Division II with 19.03 digs per set.
• The Griffons are third in the country with 39.75 team attacks per set.

10/27 - SCOUTING EMPORIA STATE | 6 PM
With Missouri Western now in fourth place, the Griffons first take on eighth-place Emporia State (11-11, 5-9 MIAA), a team they've beaten before this season. The Hornets are 3-6 on the road this fall and have lost two matches in a row. Emporia took UCM to five sets on Oct. 21 but ultimately lost at home before falling 3-1 to No. 10 Nebraska Kearney on the road three days later.

Who to Watch
The Griffons will need to slow down junior outside hitter Sandora Sasaki, who leads the MIAA with 381 kills and 4.82 per set, an average good enough for fourth in the country. Sasaki set the MIAA-high for kills in a match this season with 33 in ESU's four-set loss to UNK just last week. A week before that vs. Fort Hays State, she tallied 33 kills. Sasaki also leads the MIAA with 405.5 points.

Head Coach
First-year coach Ken Murczek is 176-155 in a career that started in 2003. He is 0-1 vs. MWSU and has never played the Griffs in St. Joseph until this Friday.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
Missouri Western holds a 51-39-1 advantage in the series that dates back to 1976. The Griffons are 13-14 vs. ESU in St. Joseph since 1989 and have won the last three total outings.

Last Time Out
Missouri Western cruised to a 3-0 win over Emporia on the Hornets' home court back on Sept. 30 at White Auditorium. Heldt and Taylor led the Griffons with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Sasaki led ESU with a double-double, notching 14 kills and 10 digs. Missouri Western won 25-19, 25-14, 25-14.

10/28 - SCOUTING NO. 25 WASHBURN | 6 PM
The fifth-place Ichabods (14-7, 8-6 MIAA) come to town for their second matchup with MWSU this Saturday. Washburn lost its last outing, falling 3-1 at Fort Hays State. The 'Bods will face Northwest Missouri State in Maryville on Friday before heading to the Looney Complex, currently holding a 3-5 record when on the road.

Who to Watch
Graduate right-side hitter Rachel Schwensen is one of the most precise hitters in the MIAA, holding the second-best hitting percentage at .313. She is also 14th in the conference with 215 kills. Junior outside hitter Jalyn Stevenon leads the team and is eighth in the MIAA with 246 kills. Spearheading the 'Bods behind the service line is sophomore setter Corinna McMullen, who has a league-high 41 aces this season. 

Head Coach
In his 22nd season at Washburn, Chris Herren is 613-132 as an Ichabod and 688-161 overall as a head coach. He is 33-6 vs. MWSU overall and is 14-4 at the MWSU Fieldhouse since 2002.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
Dating back to 1976, MWSU is 46-42 vs. Washburn. The Griffons are 15-15 vs. Washburn in St. Joseph since 1988. Missouri Western has won the last two meetings, beating Washburn 3-0 earlier this season and 3-1 last year on Senior Day.

Last Time Out
Missouri Western handled Washburn in three sets on Sept. 29, winning 25-20, 25-15, 25-12 in Topeka, Kansas. Heldt led MWSU with 11 kills, and Johnson notched a double-double with 34 assists and 16 digs. Schwensen was held to a Washburn-high seven kills, as the Ichabods were held to a .053 hitting percentage.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON VOLLEYBALL HISTORY 
Oct. 27 | Box Score
The 2018 Griffons ran through Southwest Baptist and won 3-0 at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Stephanie Doak led the Griffs with 11 kills, while the MWSU defense held Baptist to a -.021 hitting percentage. 

Oct. 28 | Box Score 
The same Griffons of 2018 kept the momentum rolling into their next match on Senior Day. Behind 11 kills from Rachel Losch, the Griffons swept Missouri Southern 25-15, 25-14, 25-12.