ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Riding a red-hot four-match winning streak and hot off the heels of a sweep over then-No. 15 Washburn, Griffon Volleyball stays on the road for matchups this week at Fort Hays State and No. 9 Nebraska Kearney.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can watch all Griffon Volleyball matches for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network.

NOTABLES

• The Griffons are winners of 12 straight sets.
• Missouri Western is holding opponents to a .129 hitting percentage, the best mark in the MIAA.
• Opponents have only recorded 500 assists vs. MWSU, the second least in the conference.
• The Griffons have given up the second-least kills in the MIAA with 550 against them.
• With 71 blocks given up, the Griffons are the least-blocked team in the MIAA.
• Missouri Western has 957 digs, the third most in the league.
• Leading MWSU with 148 kills, freshman outside hitter Holly Heldt is 9th in the league. Freshman right-side hitter Taylor Russell is 14th (136), senior middle hitter Danielle Moje is 18th (121) and sophomore middle hitter Emma Salker is 19th (115). Missouri Western has the most representation in the MIAA's top-20 kills list.
• Junior setter Nessa Johnson is third in the MIAA with 509 assists. Her 10.18 assists per set also rank third in the conference.
• Freshman libero Anna Weberg is third in the MIAA with 263 digs and is second with 5.26 per set. Heldt is 10th with 172 digs and 11th with 3.61 per set. Johnson is 12th at 170 digs and 12th at 3.40 per set.
• Junior middle hitter Lily Kurz is third in the MIAA with 55 blocks. Her nine solo blocks are tied for the conference lead.

10/5 - SCOUTING FORT HAYS | 6 PM
Entering this week in 10th place in the MIAA, Fort Hays (7-8, 1-5 MIAA) is coming off breaking a five-match losing streak. The Tigers beat Newman 3-0 on Sept. 29 in Wichita, Kansas. Prior to that, Hays suffered five straight sweeps, including losses to No. 15 Washburn, No. 21 Central Oklahoma and No. 9 Nebraska Kearney. However, the Tigers are 5-2 at home this season.

Who to Watch
Sophomore outside hitter Gracie Rains will be a force to be reckoned with, coming in with the eighth-most kills in the MIAA at 149. Rains is joined by sophomore setter Caiya Stucky, who is fifth in the conference with 481 assists. Graduate student middle blocker Emily Ellis is a problem at the net with 65 blocks this season, the second most in the league. Sophomore Brooke Hyland rounds out Hays' players to watch with 221 digs, ranking her sixth.

Head Coach
In her sixth season with FHSU, Jessica Wood-Atkins is 49-95 with the Tigers and 127-164 overall. Since joining Hays in 2018, she is 1-7 vs. MWSU and 0-4 when the Griffs come to town.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
Heading into the 58th all-time matchup, MWSU leads Hays 45-13. Since 1989, MWSU is 9-5 when playing the Tigers at Hays. The Griffons have also won nine of the last 10 matchups. 

Last Time Out
The Griffons swept the series vs. Hays last season, last winning 3-1 on Oct. 21 on the road. In that game, Moje led all players with 14 kills. Meanwhile, Johnson had a double-double with 41 assists and 12 digs.

Thursday's bout starts a 6 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kansas.

10/6 - SCOUTING NO. 9 NEBRASKA KEARNEY | 6 PM
Technically the second-best team in the conference, Kearney (15-1, 5-1 MIAA) is on a heater right now, winning six straight matches. The Lopers have not lost since Sept. 15 when they fell in straight sets at Washburn. Kearney most recently beat Hays and Newman in three sets. Starting a two-match homestand vs. MWSU, the Lopers are 5-0 at the Health & Sports Center this season.

Who to Watch
The Griffons will need to stop hitters Jaden Ferguson, Emersen Cyza and Asha Regier. Ferguson, a graduate student, is 10th in the MIAA with 147 kills, while Syza, a senior is 12th with 137 and Regier, a junior is 15th with 129. This trio benefits from sophomore Peyton Neff and her 554 assists, the second most in the MIAA. Neff is also eighth in the conference with 19 service aces. 

Head Coach
The leading man for 25 seasons, Rick Squiers is 759-106 with UNK and 965-165 overall after six initial seasons with Hastings. First playing MWSU in 2006, he is 22-2 vs. the Griffons and 11-0 when playing at home in the regular season.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
First playing in 1976, MWSU trails in the all-time series 14-45-1. Headed into the 61st meeting, MWSU is 0-13 at UNK since 1989. Missouri Western's last win vs. UNK was on Nov. 11, 2017, in St. Joseph. 

Last Time Out
The Lopers swept MWSU on Nov. 10, 2022, in St. Joseph during the first round of the MIAA Tournament. Moje led the Griffons with 12 kills, and Johnson notched another double-double with 33 assists and 10 digs. Emersen led UNK with 17 kills, Neff tallied 35 assists and 12 digs.

First serve is set for Friday at 6 p.m. in Kearney, Nebraska.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON VOLLEYBALL HISTORY
Oct. 5 | Box Score
Hosting Missouri Southern on this day in 2019. MWSU knocked off the Lions in four sets. Maryssa Recio led all players with 15 kills while Ali Tauchen tallied a double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs. Lauren Murphy also mustered up a double-double, finding 43 assists and 11 digs. Tiana Butler led MWSU with 33 digs as the Griffs won their second-straight match.

Oct. 6 | Box Score
On their own four-game winning streak, the 2017 Griffons swept through Fort Hays in less than 90 minutes at Gross Memorial Coliseum. Stephanie Doak had 14 kills to lead all hitters on the night, and Lauren Murphy led the way with 35 assists. Kayla Ruff led everyone with 24 digs, and Ali Tauchen sent back the Tigers with four total blocks.