ST. CLOUD, Minn. - A memorable season for Missouri Western volleyball (23-8) concluded on Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a 3-1 defeat to No. 9 Concordia-St. Paul (24-6) at Halenbeck Hall.
 
After surrendering the match's first point, the Griffons found their rhythm with an early 4-0 run, eventually extending their lead to 10-4 to force the Golden Bears to call their first timeout. Later in the set, CSP narrowed the gap to three points as late as 22-19. However, following a timeout by MWSU, the Griffons responded with a 3-0 run to win the opening set 25-19. Sophomore Emma Salker shined in the set with eight kills, complemented by senior Nessa Johnson's 11 assists.
 
Concordia-St. Paul evened the match with a 25-18 victory in set two, never trailing and achieving a hitting percentage of .275 with 16 kills. In the next set, the Golden Bears took their first lead of the match after winning 25-21 despite making 10 attacking errors and committing two service errors.
 
In the fourth set, the Griffons fought hard from the very beginning, resulting in five ties and three lead changes. Sophomore Emily Loy energized the offensive effort with eight kills; however, it wasn't enough to prevent the Bears from winning the match 3-1, finishing with a score of 25-17 in the final set.
 
Johnson gave it her all in her final match in a Griffon uniform. The native of Gilbert, Iowa, paced the Griffs with 35 assists and 14 digs, securing her 20th double-double of the season. She finished her remarkable career with 3507 assists, the third-most assists in program history, and 1,133 digs.
 
Loy led the offensive attack for the Griffons, finishing with a team-high 18 kills. Salker added 13 kills on a team-leading .280 hitting percentage while also adding a pair of service aces and blocks.
 
Defensively, libero Anna Weberg led all players with 19 digs. Sophomore Holly Heldt added 12 digs, while senior Hailey Crane wrapped up her career with eight digs. Senior Lily Kurz contributed two blocks, bringing her season total to 144, which ranks tied for third in program history. Sophomore Taylor Russell also recorded two blocks.
 
Missouri Western's historic season has ended with tonight's loss. The Griffons will say goodbye to four outstanding seniors but will return 15 players for next season in their quest to replicate the new standard for Griffon Volleyball. To keep up with Missouri Western volleyball, visit or follow the Griffons on Facebook, Instagram, and X using the handle @MWSUvolleyball.