GOLDEN, Colo. - The Missouri Western volleyball team (3-1) completed the Oredigger Volleyball Classic with a pair of sweeps, including an upset over No. 13 Regis (Colo.) on Saturday afternoon at Lockridge Arena.
 
The Griffons began the day with a decisive three-set win against Concord (W. Va.) (25-16, 25-17, 25-18) in the morning match. They secured their first ranked win of the season by defeating No. 13 Regis (Colo.) (25-18, 29-27, 25-16).
 
MATCH 1: MWSU 3, CU 0
Missouri Western volleyball balanced an efficient offensive attack and consistent defense in a dominant win over Concord in the inaugural meeting between the two schools.
 
After dropping the first point in the opening set, MWSU responded with an 8-0 run. The Mountain Lions narrowed the gap to four midway through the set, but the Griffons maintained their lead and extended it to as many as 11 points to secure the set, 25-16.
 
MWSU erased an early three-point Mountain Lions lead in the second set that saw a pair of ties and one lead change. The Griffon offense was humming the entire set, finishing with a .303 team-hitting percentage led by Holly Heldt, who collected four kills.
 
Western secured the sweep with a 25-18 final in set three. Freshman Mackenzie Peters led the team with five kills and scored the final point with an assist from Nessa Johnson, who finished the set with 17.
 
The Griffons hit .292 for the match. Heldt led the offensive attack with a match-leading 11 kills. Peters also shined in her second college appearance with nine kills, extending her weekend total to 11.
 
Johnson added to her impressive start to the season with 42 assists. The senior also added 11 digs, helping her reach the 800-dig milestone. Lia Graham (10 digs) and Lily Kurz (four blocks) also added strong defensive performances, helping hold the Mountain Lions to .112 hitting for the match.
 
MATCH 2: MWSU 3, RU 0
The Griffons avenged their 3-1 loss to then No. 10 Regis in 2018 with a statement three-set sweep to conclude the Oredigger Classic. Saturday's win marked the fourth against a top-25 opponent in Jessica Fey's coaching tenure—the other three coming against her alma mater Washburn.
 
Early in the first set, the Griffons went on a 9-0 run following four consecutive Ranger attacking errors, capped off with a kill from Taylor Russell. Despite sputtering at times offensively, MWSU extended their lead to as many as 10 with the help of five service aces - a pair coming from senior Hailey Crane.
 
The second set, which involved back-and-forth with 14 ties and eight lead changes, required extra points to decide the winner. After trading four set point opportunities, the Griffons prevailed following back-to-back errors from the Rangers to claim the set, 29-17. Heldt led the Griffons offensively with four kills, adding five digs and an assist. Johnson also provided an offensive spark with 10 assists and a trio of kills on .750 hitting.
 
MWSU opened the final set with a 7-2 run that featured a pair of kills from Emily Loy. The Griffons controlled the pace of the set that featured 15 digs - eight coming from libero Anna Weberg. While up 20-14 late in the set, a trio of kills from Heldt helped put the match out of reach, as the Griffons claimed the set by nine points to notch their third sweep of the invitational.
 
Heldt led the Griffons with nine kills. The Herman, Missouri native finished the weekend tied with Loy with 41 kills, while also tallying 40 digs, 7.0 blocks and six assists. Johnson also had an impressive weekend with 141 assists, 41 digs and 14 kills.
 
UP NEXT
Western will head east next weekend to Allendale and Grand Rapids Michigan for the Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown Classic. MWSU will compete against Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) and No. 24 Grand Valley State on Friday at 9:00 a.m. CT and 6:00 p.m. CT in Allendale. The action will conclude on Saturday at noon and 3:00 p.m. CT against Davenport (Mich.) and Tiffin (Ohio) in Grand Rapids.