TOPEKA, Kan. -— Securing their second-ever sweep over a ranked team in the modern era, Griffon Volleyball tore through Christian Brothers and No. 25 Harding on Friday in day of the Washburn Invitational at Lee Arena.

VS. CHRISTIAN BROTHERS
In match one at 9:30 a.m. vs. CBU (1-4), the Griffon offense was paced by Taylor Russell, who finished with 10 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of 47.4, and by Danielle Moje, who had 10 while hitting 76.9%. Defensively, Missouri Western had two players reach double figures in digs, as Holly Heldt had 17 and Anna Weberg had 16.

SET 1 | The Griffons grabbed control on the first point and never looked back to secure the first set 25-11. Missouri Western led by 14 points at 24-10 before finishing off the set, collecting 15 kills along the way. Missouri Western also supplemented their offense with four aces in the opening set.

SET 2 | Missouri Western built on a set-one win by earning a 25-17 victory in set two. The Griffons grabbed control of the set lead early on at 2-1 and never looked back. Missouri Western opened its biggest lead of the stanza, eight points, to finish off the set.

SET 3 | Missouri Western took set three to finish the match in a 3-0 sweep. The Griffons took control of the set early when the score was 2-1 and held the lead the rest of the way to win 25-13. Missouri Western State led by as many as 14 points at 24-10 before finishing off the stanza, collecting 15 kills without notching an attack error.

GAME NOTES

• Lily Kurz had a match-high four aces in the win.
• Missouri Western never trailed on the way to winning the first set 25-11.
• Taylor Russell had a match-high 10 kills.
• Missouri Western got a match-high 17 digs from Heldt.
• Missouri Western attackers were helped by a match-high 36 assists from Nessa Johnson.

VS. NO. 25 HARDING
Playing Harding (5-0) later on at 3 p.m., the Griffons (5-1) were led by a double-double from Heldt, who registered 12 kills and 11 digs on the day. Emma Salker also added 12 kills to help the attack. On the defensive end, Weberg chipped in with 14 digs to go with five blocks from Kurz.

SET 1 | The Griffons opened up with an early one-set lead, winning the first set 25-21. Missouri Western never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 22-21 in a set that showcased two lead changes before the Griffons took over in the second half of the stanza.

SET 2 | After their win in the first set, Missouri Western State put themselves on the cusp of a sweep with a 28-26 victory in set number two. The Griffons persevered in a back-and-forth set to win in a stanza that featured three lead changes and was tied 12 times. Neither team led by more than four points along the way. The Griffons racked up 17 kills over the course of the set.

SET 3 | Missouri Western State finished off the match in a 3-0 sweep after taking the third set. The Griffons took the set 25-19 powered by a solid performance on the attacking end. Missouri Western State registered a .353 attack percentage with 12 kills in the set win. The Griffons opened up a 22-14 lead in the stanza and coasted to victory from there. Missouri Western State's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five Harding attacks in the stanza.

GAME NOTES

• Missouri Western had three players in double figures in digs.
• Heldt had a team-high two aces in the win.
• Heldt registered a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs
• Heldt had a match-high 12 kills for Missouri Western State.
• Missouri Western got a team-high 14 digs from Weberg.
• Missouri Western attackers were helped by a match-high 32 assists from Johnson.
• This is MWSU's first sweep over a ranked team since Oct. 28, 2017, vs. No. 16 Central Missouri.
• This is the second win over a ranked team in the Jessica Fey Era.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western wraps up the Washburn Invite on Saturday with a 10 a.m. matchup vs. Midwestern State and a 4 p.m. bout with Oklahoma Baptist back at Lee Arena.