ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — After finishing their first homestand 3-2, Griffon Volleyball takes to the road in MIAA play for the first time this season, taking on No. 15 Washburn on Friday and Emporia State on Saturday.
TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can watch all Griffon Volleyball matches for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network.
NOTABLES
- Missouri Western is holding opponents to a .138 hitting percentage, the second-best mark in the MIAA.
- With 60 blocks allotted, the Griffons are the least-blocked team in the MIAA.
- Missouri Western's 19.16 digs per set is second in the MIAA.
- Leading MWSU with 124 kills, freshman outside hitter Holly Heldt is 12th in the league. Freshman right-side hitter Taylor Russell is 14th (116), senior middle hitter Danielle Moje is 16th (112) and sophomore middle hitter Emma Salker is 18th (100). Missouri Western has the most representation in the MIAA's top-20 kills list.
- Junior setter Nessa Johnson is fourth in the MIAA with 446 assists. Her 10.14 assists per set rank second in the conference.
- Freshman libero Anna Weberg leads the MIAA with 231 digs and is second with 5.25 per set. Heldt is ninth with 159 digs and 12th with 3.61 per set. Johnson is 11th at 146 digs and 13th at 3.32 per set.
- Junior middle hitter Lily Kurz is third in the MIAA with 46 blocks. Her nine solo blocks are tied for the conference lead.
9/29 - SCOUTING NO. 15 WASHBURN | 6 PM
Fourth in the MIAA standings and 6-0 in Topeka, Kansas, Washburn (9-2, 3-1 MIAA) walks into Friday night's matchup winners of seven of their last eight outings. However, the Ichabods were swept by Central Missouri on Sept. 23 in Warrensburg, Missouri.
Who to Watch
A junior outside hitter, Jalyn Stevenson leads Washburn with 128 kills and is 10th in the MIAA. Graduate right-side hitter Rachel Schwensen is 18th in the MIAA with 100 kills. Sophomore setter Corinna McMullen is first in the conference with 25 service aces.
Griffon hitters will need to sneak the ball past sophomore outside hitter Bella Limback, who is 11th in the MIAA with 35 blocks. Limback is also lethal when swinging, notching the best hitting percentage in the MIAA this season at 363.
Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
Dating back to 1976, MWSU is 45-42 vs. Washburn. The Griffons are 6-23 in Topeka since 1988. The Ichabods have won seven of the last 10 meetings, and MWSU has yet to win in Topeka since Oct. 18, 2014.
Last Time Out
Scoring their first upset over a ranked team since 2017, the Griffons beat No. 17 Washburn 3-1 on Nov. 5, 2022, ending MWSU's Senior Day in a big way. This was also Head Coach Jessica Fey's first win over her alma mater in just the Griffs' second time seeing Washburn that season. Danielle Moje led the Griffons with 15 kills, and Nessa Johnson notched a double-double with 34 assists and 16 digs.
Head Coach
In his 22nd season at Washburn, Chris Herren is 608-127 as an Ichabod and 683-156 overall as a head coach. He is 33-5 vs. MWSU overall and 19-1 vs. the Griffs in Topeka since taking over for Washburn in 2002.
The Griffons and Ichabods face off at 6 p.m. inside Lee Arena in Topeka.
9/30 - SCOUTING EMPORIA STATE | 3 PM
Ninth in the conference standings, Emporia State (7-5, 1-3 MIAA) has lost three in a row. The Hornets lost 3-0 to Nebraska Kearney, 3-1 to UCM on Sept. 22 and 3-0 to Missouri Southern on Sept. 23. The Hornets have only played two matches at home this season, winning the first and losing the latter.
Who to Watch
One of the best MIAA hitters out there, junior outside hitter Sandora Sarsaki is second in the conference with 176 kills. Her 4.29 kills per set ranks her first in the league, and her hitting percentage of .329 is fifth. She's helped by freshman setter Brailee Bogle, whose 373 assists rank sixth in the MIAA.
Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
Missouri Western holds a 50-39-1 advantage in the series that dates back to 1976. The Griffons are 7-18 in Emporia, Kansas, since 1989. However, Missouri Western did sweep the season series last year. In the last 10 bouts, MWSU is 6-4 vs. ESU.
Last Time Out
The Hornets took the Griffons to four sets last time out on Nov. 4, 2022, but MWSU prevailed 3-1 in St. Joseph thanks to 14 kills by Katherine White and 13 more by Emma Salker. Johnson also found another double, picking up 44 assists and 12 digs.
Head Coach
First-year coach Ken Murczek is 172-50 in a career that started in 2003. He has never faced MWSU to this point.
First serve is slated for 3 p.m. in Emporia at White Auditorium.
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON VOLLEYBALL HISTORY
Sept. 29 | Box Score | Video Recap
It only took the Griffons four sets to dispatch Missouri Southern on this day in 2017. Stephanie Doak's 22 kills led all players, the 10th most in a four-set Griffon match. Lauren Murphy led MWSU with 57 assists, collecting a double-double with 11 digs.
Sept. 3 | Box Score
Carrying momentum from their win over MSSU in 2017, MWSU next swept Southwest Baptist at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Doak and Ali Tauchen led the Griffons with 11 kills apiece, and Murphy dished out 41 assists.
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