ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Missouri Western Volleyball takes to the road for its final tournament of the regular season, competing in the Washburn Invitational this Friday and Saturday in Topeka, Kansas.

The Griffons went 3-1 at last weekend's Illinois-Springfield Tournament under second-year Head Coach Jessica Fey, beating the hometown host UIS 3-0, McKendree 3-2 and Arkansas Tech 3-0 before falling in a five-set battle with Texas A&M International. This is MWSU's first 3-1 start since 2021 after starting 2022 1-3. The Griffons won both matches in their first doubleheader last Friday, and they will experience two more this weekend.

WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can watch this weekend's slate of matches for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network.

NOTABLES

• Freshman defensive specialist Anna Weberg and freshman outside hitter Holly Heldt have played all 16 sets for the Griffons this season.
• Junior setter Nessa Johnson leads the team with 127 assists and two double-doubles.
• Heldt tallied her own double-double vs. McKendree, going off for 15 digs and 12 kills. 
• Senior middle hitter Danielle Moje leads the team with 46 kills.
• Moje is two solo blocks away from tying Lindsay Palaia (1999-02) for third all-time in Griffon history.
• Both junior middle hitter Lily Kurz and sophomore middle hitter Emma Salker rejected 15 attacks last weekend. In that time, Kurz reached 100 total blocks for her career and currently sits at 104.

9/8 - CHRISTIAN BROTHERS | 9:30 AM
Kicking things off on Friday morning, MWSU takes on a down Christian Brothers (1-3, 0-0 GSC) squad. Winning only one match in their season opener at the Blossom Classic Invitational last weekend, the Buccaneers lost 3-0 to Maryville, 3-1 to Truman State, 3-0 to Northern State and then finally beat Arkansas Monticello 3-0. Christian Brothers will battle with Washburn on Thursday at 3 p.m. before taking on the Griffs this Saturday.

As of Thursday, sophomore middle hitter Alma Solls leads the Bucs with 29 kills and five blocks, slamming a season-high 14 kills against Truman State on Sept. 1. Junior setter Sarah Allyn Thornell is one to watch for the Bucs, leading them with 111 assists and two double-doubles. Junior defensive specialist Aileen Zavala is the team's leader with 50 digs, 

Christian Brothers is coached by fourth-year leader Bre Lewis, who is 8-58 at CBU. Missouri Western is 7-2 all-time vs. the Bucs, last playing them on Sept. 4, 2010, in a match Christian Brothers won 3-0. Before that, MWSU had won five straight outings since 2002. 

9/8 - NO. 25 HARDING | 3 PM
Next up on Friday afternoon is MWSU's first test vs. a ranked team, taking on No. 25 Harding (4-0, 0-0 GAC). The Bison are unblemished so far this young season, winning 12 straight sets at the Texas-Tyler Tournament last weekend. Harding swept through the likes of St. Edward's, Montevallo, Union and Dallas Baptist in a span of just two days.

Graduate defensive specialist Emma Winiger highlighted Harding's perfect weekend, winning GAC Defensive Player of the Week thanks to team-highs of 61 digs and eight service aces. Senior outside hitter Chloe Ingersoll can be trouble for defenses, notching 30 kills in four matches. As for their own defense, fifth-year middle blocker Kelli McKinnon's 13 blocks up front led all Bison.

The Bison are led by 12th-year Head Coach Meredith Fear, who is 248-84 at Harding and 284-116 overall. Missouri Western is  2-4 all-time vs. Harding, with the Bison winning the last four matchups from 2003-12. The Griffons went 1-9 vs. ranked teams all last season, beating No. 17 Washburn on Senior Day to grab MWSU's first win over a ranked team since 2017.

9/9 - MIDWESTERN STATE | 10 AM
Starting late Saturday morning, the Griffons take on Midwestern State (2-2, 0-0 LSC). The Mustangs saw an even split last weekend at their own Midwestern State Invitational, losing 3-1 to Southwestern Oklahoma, beating West Alabama 3-1, falling 3-0 to Central Oklahoma and then stepping over Western Colorado 3-0. 

Junior outside hitter Riley Rabedeaux ran wild all weekend, racking up double-digit kill matches to lead her team with 47 and earn all-tournament honors. Freshman setter Alayna Guerrero had quite the collegiate debut, leading the team with 115 assists and two double-doubles. Defensively, sophomore libero Taygon Jones scrounged up 59 digs, while freshman middle hitter Jaiden Wright rejected nine attacks. 

Midwestern is led by second-year Head Coach Stephanie Radecki, who went 7-22 last season. Missouri Western holds the all-time advantage at 6-2, winning the previous three matches in 2009, 2016 and 2019. 

9/9 - OKLAHOMA BAPTIST | 4 PM
To round out their final tournament of the regular season, the Griffons take on Oklahoma Baptist (1-3, 0-0 GAC). The Bison of OBU lost their first three matches of the season, losing 3-0 to No. 11 Southwest Minnesota State, 3-0 to Spring Hill College and 3-1 to No. 12 West Florida. Oklahoma Baptist bounced back with a 3-0 victory vs. Mississippi College to close out the SpringHill Suites Invitational. 

Leading the team with 30 kills so far, redshirt sophomore middle blocker Jill Leslie collected 10 of those vs. Mississippi College. Lending a helping hand was sophomore setter Rylee Martin, who tallied 84 assists and one double-double. Senior defensive specialist Maci Langford gathered 60 digs, and Leslie led the team with 10 blocks. 

Sixteen-year Head Coach Anna Howle is 375-156 at OBU. Facing off just three times, MWSU is 3-0 vs. OBU, beating the Bison in 1983, 2015 and 2016. 

ON THESE DAYS IN GRIFFON VOLLEYBALL HISTORY
Sept. 8 | Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Back in 2017, Missouri Western made short work of Illinois-Springfield and St. Mary's, tearing through both teams 3-0. Stephanie Doak diced up UIS for 17 kills, while Lauren Murphy fed 41 assists. Versus St. Mary's, Shelby Taylor tallied 14 kills, as Rachel Losch sent back the SMU offense with four blocks.

Sept. 9 | Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Sticking with 2017, MWSU went on to beat Bridgeport 3-0 but fell 3-1 to West Texas A&M. Doak spiked 16 more kills in the earlier bout, propelled by a 26-assist effort by Liv Winker. While the Griffons lost their second match, Doak hit home 21 kills, tied for the ninth most in a four-set match in Griffon history.