ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Griffon volleyball team (21-5, 11-3 MIAA) will conclude the regular season week with rematches against No. 4 Nebraska Kearney and Fort Hays State at the MWSU Fieldhouse. MWSU heads into the week second in the KPI standings behind only UNK.
 
Action will kick off Thursday with a highly anticipated rematch against the Lopers (26-1, 13-1 MIAA) at 6:00 p.m. on Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day, where recognition will take place before the match. The two teams faced each other earlier this season in Nebraska. Although UNK won that match 3-0, it was a fiercely competitive contest with set scores of 35-33, 28-26 and 25-20. Since then, the Lopers have only lost one match, which was a 3-0 defeat on the road against No. 10 Central Oklahoma.
 
The week will conclude Friday at 6:00 p.m. against the Tigers (12-11, 4-10 MIAA) on Senior Day. Earlier this season, the Griffons claimed a hard-fought 3-1 road victory in Hays, Kansas. FHSU has struggled on the back half of its schedule, dropping seven of its last 10. Since the October 5 match with the Griffons, they have claimed wins over Arkansas-Fort Smith (3-2), Newman (3-1) and Pittsburg State (3-0).
 
THANK YOU SENIORS
Following Friday's regular-season finale against Fort Hays State, the Griffons will honor their four seniors: Shelby Dannegger, Lily Kurz, Hailey Crane and Nessa Johnson.
 
Since arriving on campus in 2021, this group of seniors has been instrumental in transforming Missouri Western volleyball into a powerhouse in the MIAA. They have helped the Griffons reach the conference tournament all four years. This season, they have helped MWSU achieve national recognition, reaching as high as No. 23 in the country.
 
ANOTHER ONE FOR NESSA
Nessa Johnson was selected as the MIAA Setter of the Week for the fourth time this season on Monday afternoon. She helped Missouri Western collect a pair of MIAA sweeps against Central Missouri and Missouri Southern on the road last weekend. The senior setter paced the Griffon offense with 72 assists to lead the league with 12.0 assists per set on the week. Johnson also totaled 22 digs (3.76 digs per set) on the defensive side of the net. This is Johnson's fourth Setter of the Week honor of the season.
 
MIAA STANDINGS
 

School	Conf	CPct.	Overall	Pct.	Streak
Nebraska Kearney	13-1	.929	26-1	.963	W6
Central Oklahoma	12-2	.857	25-2	.926	W5
Missouri Western	11-3	.786	21-5	.808	W3
Washburn	10-4	.714	19-5	.792	W1
Emporia State	8-6	.571	16-8	.667	L1
Northwest Missouri	8-6	.571	14-10	.583	W2
Arkansas-Fort Smith	6-8	.429	14-12	.538	W2
Pittsburg State	5-9	.357	10-14	.417	L4
Central Missouri	5-9	.357	9-14	.391	L2
Fort Hays State	4-10	.286	12-11	.522	L2
Missouri Southern	2-12	.143	4-22	.154	L3
Newman	0-14	.000	3-25	.107	L12

 
 
LAST TIME OUT
Missouri Western improved to 7-0 at home last weekend with a pair of sweeps against Central Missouri and Missouri Southern.
 
On Friday, Western ended its 13-match winless streak against UCM, which had lasted since 2017, by achieving a dominant sweep with set scores of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-23. Taylor Russell led the team with 11 points, contributing 10 kills and two blocks. Johnson also stood out with 32 assists and 10 digs. Defensively, Heldt was a key player for the Griffs, recording 15 digs and four blocks.
 
MWSU capped off the weekend with another in-state sweep over Missouri Southern with set scores of 26-24, 25-11 and 25-18. Noelle Sutcliffe led the match with 13 kills, achieving an impressive hitting percentage of .440. Emily Loy and Russell also played key roles in the team's offensive efforts, each contributing 10 kills. Johnson achieved her 17th double-double of the season, tallying 40 assists and 12 digs. On the defensive end, libero Anna Weberg recorded a match-high 24 digs, while senior Lilly Kurz excelled with four blocks.