GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Missouri Western volleyball team (5-2) concluded the Hampton Inn and Suites Grand Rapids Downtown Classic with a pair of wins against Davenport (Mich.) and Tiffin (Ohio).
 
MATCH ONE: MWSU 3, DU 0
The Griffons opened the day with a dominant win against host Davenport, winning with set scores of 25-16, 25-19 and 25-20. Additionally, there were 10 tied scores and five lead changes during the match.
 
Holly Heldt led MWSU's offensive attack with an 11-kill, 11-dig double-double. Senior Nessa Johnson finished one assist shy of 40 that and helped the Griffons outhit the Panthers .214 to .078.
 
Defensively, three Griffons had double-digit assists. Libero Anna Weberg led the way with 15 digs. Lily Kurz contributed four blocks in addition to her 11 kills.
 
MATCH TWO: MWSU 3, TU 1
Missouri Western and Tiffin battled in the final match of the invitational, with the Griffons winning sets one, three and four. The match was highlighted by a 27- 25 opening set thriller that took extra points to decide a winner.
 
Johnson paced the offense with 44 assists against the Dragons. Kurz led Western's offensive attack with 12 kills, while also adding a team-leading five blocks.
 
On defense, Weberg had an impressive showing with 22 digs to highlight a .945 team reception rate. Lia Graham and Emma Salker also provided excellent defense with 18 digs apiece.
 
Up Next: The Griffons are set to participate in the SNU/UCO Invitational in Bethany, Oklahoma next weekend. MWSU will play against Southwestern Oklahoma State and Oklahoma Baptist on Friday, followed by a finale against Southern Nazarene (Okla.) on Saturday.