ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Missouri Western volleyball team (12-4, 3-2 MIAA) returns home this weekend to kick off 'Pink Week' against Arkansas-Fort Smith (11-4, 3-1 MIAA) and No.11 Central Oklahoma (17-0, 4-0 MIAA).
Friday's match against the Lions will have a 'Pink Night' theme and begin at 6:00 p.m. Fans are invited to wear pink, and free t-shirts will be given out with a $10 donation to the Mosaic Life Breast Cancer Center, available while supplies last. The weekend will conclude with 'Western Night' on Saturday, scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. first serve against the Bronchos.
RECAPPING THE LAST TIME OUT
The Griffons finished last week 1-1 and are currently 0-1 this week after falling to Northwest Missouri on Tuesday.
Last Friday, MWSU lost its third match of the season in three sets at third-ranked Nebraska-Kearney. However, they bounced back the following afternoon with a 3-1 victory over Fort Hays State.
Western dropped their latest match in a back-and-forth five-set loss in Maryville to rival Northwest. Senior
Hailey Crane reached the 1,000 career dig milestone with her second dig of the contest.
MIAA STANDINGS
| School |
Conf |
CPct. |
Overall |
Pct. |
Streak |
| Nebraska Kearney |
5-0 |
1.000 |
17-0 |
1.000 |
W17 |
| Central Oklahoma |
4-0 |
1.000 |
17-0 |
1.000 |
W17 |
| Arkansas-Fort Smith |
3-1 |
.750 |
11-4 |
.733 |
W3 |
| Washburn |
3-2 |
.600 |
12-3 |
.800 |
W3 |
| Missouri Western |
3-2 |
.600 |
12-4 |
.750 |
L1 |
| Emporia State |
3-2 |
.600 |
11-4 |
.733 |
L1 |
| Northwest Missouri |
3-2 |
.600 |
9-6 |
.600 |
W1 |
| Pittsburg State |
2-3 |
.400 |
7-8 |
.467 |
W1 |
| Central Missouri |
2-3 |
.400 |
6-7 |
.462 |
W1 |
| Fort Hays State |
1-4 |
.200 |
9-5 |
.643 |
L4 |
| Newman |
0-5 |
.000 |
3-16 |
.158 |
L3 |
| Missouri Southern |
0-5 |
.000 |
2-14 |
.125 |
L5 |
TOP PERFORMERS
Sophomore
Taylor Russell has been phenomenal on the offensive side of the court, leading the Western attack with 165 kills at a .247 hitting rate. Fellow sophomore
Holly Heldt has also been impressive with 160 kills and leads the MIAA with 33 service aces.
Nessa Johnson has excelled at setter this season, with 633 assists (10.91 AVG/S), which ranks second in the MIAA only behind UNK's Peyton Neff. The senior has also recorded 181 digs, 38 kills and 20 blocks.
Senior
Lily Kurz has shined in the middle for the Griffons. The Longmont, Colorado native leads the MIAA with 80 blocks (1.40 AVG/S) and has also tabbed 91 kills offensively.
Anna Weberg, a sophomore libero, has collected a team-leading 275 digs (4.74 AVG/S). She has also provided 40 assists and nine service aces.
ABOUT THE LIONS
Arkansas-Fort Smith has been consistent this season, heading into the match up with an 11-4 (3-1 MIAA) record. After dropping their first-ever MIAA match to Pittsburg State, the Lions have ranked up three straight victories, including a 3-1 win at Central Missouri. They finished last season with an impressive 22-8 (12-4 LSC) record, ending with a defeat to Texas A&M-Kingsville in the Lone Star Conference Tournament quarterfinal.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools in conference play.
ABOUT THE BRONCHOS
No. 11 Central Oklahoma is one of two teams in the MIAA with an undefeated record, as they have been perfect through 17 matches. They have opened conference play with wins over Newman (3-0), Pitt State (3-0), Missouri Southern (3-1) and are coming over a five-set win at Central Missouri. Last season, UCO tallied a 26-5 (17-3 MIAA) record, just missing a regional bid after falling in the opening round of the conference tournament to Missouri Southern.
