ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Winners of four in a row, Griffon Volleyball has a chance to shake up the NCAA Central Region scene with two final home matchups of the season.

This weekend, the Griffons go up against Fort Hays State and No. 10 Nebraska Kearney at the MWSU Fieldhouse, celebrating Senior Day on Saturday.

WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can watch all Griffon Volleyball (18-7, 11-5 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 is officially in the MIAA Tournament for an 11th consecutive championship season (excluding 2020).
• Leading MWSU with 266 kills, freshman outside hitter Holly Heldt is seventh in the league. Freshman right-side hitter Taylor Russell is 11th (247), senior middle hitter Danielle Moje is 18th (203) and sophomore middle hitter Emma Salker is 20th (194). Missouri Western has the most representation in the MIAA's top-20 kills list.
• Junior setter Nessa Johnson is third in the MIAA with 892 assists. Her 10.37 assists per set rank third in the conference.
• Johnson also has the fifth-most service aces in the conference with 34. Heldt is sixth with 33. 
• Missouri Western is holding opponents to a .142 hitting percentage, the best mark in the MIAA.
• Opponents have only recorded 888 assists vs. MWSU, the second least in the conference.
• The Griffons have given up the second-least number of kills in the MIAA with 974 against them.
• With 143 blocks given up, the Griffons are the least-blocked team in the MIAA.
• Freshman libero Anna Weberg is second in the MIAA with 464 digs and is second with 5.40 per set. Heldt is 13th with 285 digs and 15th with 3.31 per set. Johnson is 16th at 244 digs and 16th at 3.26 per set.
• Weberg's 5.40 digs per set rank her 14th in Division II.
• Junior middle hitter Lily Kurz is fourth in the MIAA With 87 blocks and is second with 14 solo blocks.
• Missouri Western is fourth in Division II with 19.12 digs per set.
• The Griffons are third in the country with 39.69 team attacks per set.
• Seeking its fifth-straight win, Missouri Western can match its longest winning streak of the season, first doing so from Sept. 21-Oct.5.

11/3 - SCOUTING FORT HAYS | 6 PM
The Tigers (11-14, 5-11 MIAA) are fighting for their postseason lives, currently on the outside looking in of the MIAA Tournament. Fort Hays sits in ninth place after winning two straight, defeating then-No.25 Washburn 3-1 on Oct. 24 and Newman 3-0 on Oct. 26 in Hays, Kansas. While 8-7 at home, Fort Hays is 2-5 when on the road this season.

Who to Watch
Sophomore outside hitter Gracie Rains is ninth in the MIAA with 258 kills. On the defensive side, graduate student middle blocker Emily Ellis is first in the conference with 102 total blocks, with freshman middle blocker Ashlyn Reeves' 90 blocks hot on her heels in third place. Sophomore defensive specialist Brooke Hyland can be a pain for would-be attackers, picking up the sixth-most digs in the conference with 366 collected so far. 

Head Coach
Sixth-year leader Jessica Wood-Atkins is 53-101 with the Tigers and 131-170 in her 11-year career. Since 2018, she has gone 1-8 vs. MWSU and 1-3 when playing the Griffons at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
Since first playing in 1976, MWSU leads Hays 46-13. Since 1992, the Griffons are 14-3 vs. the Tigers in St. Joseph. Missouri Western has won nine of the last 10 matchups, winning three straight since 2022. 

Last Time Out
While the Tigers stole a set, the Griffons came away with a 3-1 victory on Oct. 5 in Hays, Kansas, at Gross Memorial Coliseum. Missouri Western was won the cusp of a sweep when Hays won the third set 25-21. Winning 25-15 in the fourth and final set, the Griffons were led by a double-double from Heldt. The freshman had 14 kills and 17 digs. Kurz led MWSU with five blocks while collecting 11 kills. Moje had 13 kills and three blocks in the contest.

11/4 - SCOUTING NO. 10 NEBRASKA KEARNEY | 6 PM
Also a lock for the MIAA Tournament, the Lopers (23-3, 13-3 MIAA) have won two matches in a row and finished 12-0 at home this regular season. Rounding out its final two home matches, Kearney defeated Emporia State 3-1 on Oct. 24 and Newman 3-0 on Oct. 28 at the Health & Sports Center. The Lopers will play Northwest Missouri State this Friday at 6 p.m. in Maryville, Missouri, before plying MWSU.

Who to Watch
A force to be reckoned with early in her career, freshman outside hitter Mia Berg is a menace on the attack, tallying a .315 hitting percentage that stands second in the MIAA. Graduate student right-side hitter Jaden Ferguson is 12th in the MIAA with 242 kills, averaging 2.9 per set. Sophomore setter Peyton Neff is a distribution machine, currently holding the second-most assists in the conference with 967. She is the only player in the MIAA to average more than 11 assists per set, averaging a league-high 11.24. 

Head Coach
Now in his 25th season with UNK, Rick Squiers is 767-108 as a Loper and is 973-167 since starting his career in 1993. First playing MWSU in 2006, he is 23-2 vs. the Griffons and 8-1 when playing the Griffons at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
First playing in 1976, MWSU trails in the all-time series 14-46-1. Headed into the 62nd meeting, MWSU is 0-13 at UNK since 1989. Missouri Western's last win vs. UNK was on Nov. 11, 2017, in St. Joseph. The Lopers have won the last 11 matchups.

Last Time Out
The Lopers defeated the Griffons 3-0 on Oct. 6 in Kearney, Nebraska. Heldt led MWSU with 12 kills and 12 digs, while Salker and Moje had 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Senior outside hitter Emersen Cyza led the Lopers with 12 kills of her own. Berg also had 12 kills, and Neff notched a match-high 43 assists.  

SENIOR DAY
Missouri Western will recognize seniors Jessica Hendrix and Danielle Moje for their contributions to the program once the match has concluded. 

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON VOLLEYBALL HISTORY
Nov. 3 | Box Score
Missouri Western and Fort Hays also squared off on Nov. 3 back in 2018, with the Griffons winning 3-1 in Hays. Rachel Losch led the Griffs with 12 kills while Ali Tauchen secured a double-double with with 11 kills and 15 digs, picking up three blocks in the process. Lily Winker also had a double-double, tallying 28 assists and 11 digs. 

Nov. 4 | Box Score 
Much like the 2023 Griffons are on a four-match winning streak, the 2017 Griffons pushed their own streak to nine victories in a row with a 3-0 drumming of Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Missouri. Stephanie Doak was her dominant self, leading MWSU with 11 kills. Erin Erb also went off for 10 kills, and Lauren Murphy led the match with 35 assists. Meanwhile, Baptist was held to a .067 hitting percentage and committed 18 attack errors.