ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Nessa Johnson and Holly Heldt each tabbed double-doubles for Griffon volleyball (14-4, 5-2 MIAA) in the 3-1 upset over the undefeated, 11th-ranked Central Oklahoma Bronchos (18-1, 5-1 MIAA) on Saturday. MWSU secured its third-ranked win of the season with set scores of 25-17, 22-25, 25-18 and 25-21.
 
"I thought we had a rough start to the week, so to finish it on such a high note is great," commented head coach Jessica Fey. "Every single one of our players was locked in, and everyone played to their capability." Fey added, "We've been kind of waiting to see everyone on the same page and to start firing on all cylinders. Tonight was that night, and it was perfect timing."
 
The two teams were locked in a back-and-forth battle in the opening set, which consisted of six ties and three lead changes. The Griffons pulled away late in the set with a 5-0 run kick-started with a kill from Heldt that was capped off with a statement kill from Taylor Russell to go up 1-0.
 
Central Oklahoma claimed their lone set of the match in the second after hitting an efficient .347 with 19 total kills.
 
Western answered back strongly in the third set after taking control of the momentum midway through the set. They led the Bronchos by as many as eight and reached the 20-point mark with a kill from Noelle Sutcliffe. Heldt's six kills led the offensive attack, which hit .333, and Johnson paced Griffs with 16 assists.
 
In the fourth set, neither team was able to pull ahead until MWSU found a surge midway through the set to take a six-point lead. Later in the set, they fended off UCO's comeback attempt and secured the match with a 5-1 run, highlighted by two kills from Russell, who finished the set with six kills.
 
As a team, Missouri Western hit .308 with 67 total kills. Russell and Heldt each collected a match-leading 18 kills, while Sutcliffe (14) and Emma Salker (13) added double-dig kills themselves. Heldt secured her seventh double-double this year with 21 digs.
 
Johnson tallied a career-high 63 assists at setter. The senior continues to be a double-double machine after securing her 10th of the season with 11 digs on the defensive side of the net.
 
Defensively, Western finished with 7.0 blocks, led by Salker's five. Libero Anna Weberg also shined on defense, surpassing 300 digs this season with 21.
 
The Griffons will begin a three-match road stint next Friday with a match against the Pittsburg State Gorillas (9-8, 4-3 MIAA). Action from John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.