PITTSBURG, Kan. — Missouri Western State Volleyball beat the Pittsburg State Gorillas 3-2 (16-25, 25-13, 23-25, 25-19, 15-9) on Saturday on the road at John Lance Arena.
The Griffons (20-9, 13-7 MIAA) were led by a double-double from Holly Heldt, who registered 18 kills and 21 digs on the day. Taylor Russell also added 15 kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, Anna Weberg chipped in with a career-high 33 digs to go with six blocks from Russell.
SET 1 | The Griffons found themselves in an early hole, losing a tough first set 25-16. Missouri Western trailed by as many as nine points as Pitt State never gave up the lead in a set that was tied up three times before the Gorillas took control.
SET 2 | Missouri Western responded to pick up a 25-13 victory in the second set, evening the match at one set apiece. The Griffons took control of the set lead early on at 3-2 and never looked back. Missouri Western led by as many as 12 points at 23-11 before finishing off the set, totaling 15 kills while only registering one attack error along the way.
SET 3 | Pitt grabbed a 2-1 match lead after taking down the Griffons in the third set. The Griffons fell in set three 25-23. Pitt grabbed the advantage for good at 13-12 in a set that was knotted up 10 times before the Gorillas took over the lead
SET 4 | Missouri Western then responded to win the fourth set 25-19 to force a fifth set. The Griffons took control of the set at 6-5 and never looked back. Missouri Western led by as many as seven points at 20-13 before finishing off the stanza, totaling 15 kills along the way.
SET 5 | Down two sets to one, Missouri Western fought back to win sets four and five, culminating in a 15-9 fifth-set victory, to take the match 3-2. The Griffons took control of the set-five lead at 4-3 and held it the rest of the way. Missouri Western led by as many as seven points at 14-7 before finishing off the set, totaling nine kills in the process.
GAME NOTES
- Missouri Western had four players in double figures in kills and digs.
- Heldt registered a double-double with a match-high 18 kills and four aces, along with 21 digs. It's her 14th double-double of the fall.
- Missouri Western attackers were helped by a match-high 47 assists from Nessa Johnson. With 16 digs, it's Johnson's 17th double-double this season.
UP NEXT
Thanks to the win, MWSU is officially the No. 4 seed in the MIAA Tournament. Starting off the quarterfinal round, the Griffons will play No. 5-seeded Washburn (17-10, 11-9 MIAA) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. inside the Civic Arena
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