ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The 24th-ranked Griffon volleyball team (17-4, 7-2 MIAA) will face rival Northwest Missouri State (12-7, 6-3 MIAA) for the second time this Saturday on 'Alumni Day' at 2:00 p.m. from the MWSU Fieldhouse. The match will be broadcast on the
MIAA Network and
GoGriffons.com/listen, with Tommy Rezac on the call.
Fans are encouraged to wear black to Saturday's match against the Bearcats, which will be a 'Paint It Black' theme.
RECAPPING LAST TIME OUT
On Tuesday, the Griffons started the week with a dominant sweep over the William Jewell Cardinals in the non-conference finale, extending their non-conference record to 10-2.
Setter
Nessa Johnson tabbed her 1,000th career dig with her first dig of the second set. The senior paced the MWSU offense with 32 assists and notched her 15th double-double of the season with a team-leading 15 digs.
Holly Heldt finished with a match-leading 12 kills. The sophomore added seven digs and three blocks on the defensive side of the net. Fellow sophomore
Emily Loy recorded the second-most kills for the Griffs, with eight in total.
FINALLY RANKED
After receiving votes for six consecutive weeks, Missouri Western has made its debut in the AVCA Coaches Poll, ranking at No. 24. This is the first time MWSU has been ranked during
Jessica Fey's tenure as head coach.
The Griffons have achieved three notable victories against ranked opponents: No. 11 Central Oklahoma, No. 13 Regis and No. 24 Washburn.
MIAA STANDINGS
| School |
Conf |
CPct. |
Overall |
Pct. |
Streak |
| Nebraska Kearney |
8-1 |
.889 |
21-1 |
.955 |
W1 |
| Central Oklahoma |
7-2 |
.778 |
20-2 |
.909 |
L1 |
| Missouri Western |
7-2 |
.778 |
17-4 |
.810 |
W5 |
| Washburn |
6-3 |
.667 |
15-4 |
.789 |
W2 |
| Emporia State |
6-3 |
.667 |
14-5 |
.737 |
W3 |
| Northwest Missouri |
6-3 |
.667 |
12-7 |
.632 |
W3 |
| Arkansas-Fort Smith |
4-5 |
.444 |
12-9 |
.571 |
W1 |
| Pittsburg State |
4-5 |
.444 |
9-10 |
.474 |
L2 |
| Central Missouri |
3-6 |
.333 |
7-10 |
.412 |
L2 |
| Fort Hays State |
2-7 |
.222 |
10-8 |
.556 |
W1 |
| Missouri Southern |
1-8 |
.111 |
3-17 |
.150 |
L3 |
| Newman |
0-9 |
.000 |
3-20 |
.130 |
L7 |
TOP PERFORMERS
Heldt leads the offense with 223 kills (2.93 kills per set) and leads the MIAA with 40 service aces. Another critical piece to the offensive attack is sophomore
Taylor Russell, who has a team-leading 2.95 kill per set average with 215 kills 73 sets.
Johnson has had a phenomenal season. With 840 assists (11.05 assists per set), she ranks second in the MIAA behind UNK's Peyton Neff. She has also collected 240 digs, 47 kills and 25 blocks.
Senior
Lily Kurz is second in the league with 94 blocks (1.27 blocks per set), and libero
Anna Weberg has tallied a team-high 373 digs (4.91 digs per set).
ABOUT THE BEARCATS
Northwest Missouri State (12-7, 6-3 MIAA) enters Saturday's match with a three-match winning streak. The Bearcats faced challenges early in the season, starting with a 0-3 record, but they finished the non-conference portion strong, ending at 6-4. They have carried that momentum into conference play, currently tied for fourth place with Washburn and Emporia State. The Griffons and Bearcats have already faced each other once this season, with NWMSU winning that match in five sets.
