ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Missouri Western women's basketball (10-4, 5-1 MIAA) is on the road this week for a pair of key rematches - first at No. 7 Fort Hays State (13-1, 4-1 MIAA) on Thursday and then at Nebraska-Kearney (11-3, 4-1 MIAA) on Saturday.

Tip-off Thursday from Gross Memorial Coliseum is set for 5:30 p.m. CT, while Saturday's game from the UNK Health and Fitness Center will start at 2 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) with Tommy Rezac on the call. The games will be available to watch on the MIAA Network via subscription as well.

Where We Left Off
WARRENSBURG, Mo. - Alyssa Bonilla and Kassandra Caron's career days highlighted Missouri Western's 86-73 win over Central Missouri (9-8, 1-5 MIAA) at the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center in Warrensburg this past Saturday.
 
After trailing by seven points in the opening quarter, junior Meredith Rieker's three-pointer ignited an 8-3 run that helped the Griffons narrow the deficit to just two points at the end of the quarter.
 
Western found its rhythm in the second quarter and took complete control of the game. A pair of free throws by Caron tied the score and initiated a 9-0 run in the quarter, which was capped off with a layup from junior Marie Sepp to go up by seven. MWSU eventually increased its lead to double-digits (10) and went into the halftime break with a 47-39 advantage.
 
Missouri Western was an efficient 18-for-35 (51%) from the field in the first, connecting on six threes and shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Sepp led the team in the first half with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Bonilla also shined with 14 points and four assists.
 
The Griffons continued their strong performance in the third quarter, shooting 10-for-15 (67%) and increasing their lead to as much as 17 points.
 
Junior Jaidyn Schomp led the Griffs offensively with five points in the final quarter, as Missouri Western went on to claim their six-straight victory over the Jennies.
 
Missouri Western finished with a 33-for-63 (52%) shooting frame with 10 made threes, and the Griffs were near perfect from the free-throw line, converting on 10-of11 attempts.

Bonilla matched career high in points (28) and assists (10) to record her second double-double of the season. Caron notched her second career double-double with 10 points and 10 assists. Sepp (15) and Matilda Soderlund (10) also scored in double figures.

Series Histories
Thursday will be the 63rd meeting against Fort Hays State. Hays leads this all-time series 35-27, though MWSU has won the last three meetings in a row and five of the last seven overall since 2022, including a regular-season series sweep of the Tigers in 2023-24. The Griffs have won the last three games played in Hays, including the 2022 NCAA Central Region Championship.

Saturday marks the 56th all-time meeting with Nebraska-Kearney. Missouri Western holds a 31-23 advantage all-time and has won four of the last six meetings overall. However, the Lopers have won each of the last five meetings played in Kearney. MWSU seeks its first win in the UNK Health and Fitness Center since Feb. 26, 2018.

Makin' it Rain
Missouri Western has made 145-of-421 three-point attempts (34.4%) so far this season. Their 145 makes are most in the MIAA and tied for fourth most in the nation. The Griffons are averaging 10.4 made threes per game - first in the MIAA and second most in the nation.  Missouri Western also ranks No. 2 in the MIAA and 34th nationally with its 34.4% clip from long range.

Getting to Know the Griffs
Missouri Western hired its 10th head coach in program history this past offseason, naming Ashton Feldhaus to the position on April 15, 2024. Feldhaus took the reins after spending the previous five seasons as the top assistant and associate head coach for NCAA Division II Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

In those five years, Eckerd won a combined 91 games and made the NCAA tournament in each of those five seasons. They also won the Sunshine State Conference championship in 2020 and again in 2024.

As for the team itself, Missouri Western returned five players from the 2023-24 team that won an MIAA regular season championship for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2016.

Bonilla is Ballin'
Alyssa Bonilla is back for her fourth season this year, and has taken on a more significant role, becoming perhaps the most versatile guard in the MIAA. Bonilla, so far, is averaging 16.9 points (3rd MIAA), 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists (2nd MIAA, t-10th nation) and 2.8 steals (1st MIAA, 25th nation) per game.

Familiar Faces
Meredith Rieker, Kelsey Johnson, Kassandra Caron and Jaidyn Schomp make up the rest of the returners. Caron, in her junior season, is averaging a solid 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest, including a 10-point and 10-rebound double-double at Central Missouri on January 11.

Schomp has started 13 games thus far, and leads the team with 16 blocked shots. She's also averaging 5.0 points and 3.6 boards per game.

Rieker has appeared in every game so far this season and has made 14 three-pointers - tied for fourth most on the team.

From St. Petersburg to St. Joseph
The Griffons added five transfers this offseason, including four from Division I schools. Jessica Ford transferred in from NCAA Division II Eckerd College, following Ashton Feldhaus to St. Joseph from St. Petersburg, Florida.

Originally from Marlborough, England, Ford started 22 games for the Tritons last season, averaging 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, helping Eckerd to a 20-win season and a Sunshine State Conference tournament championship.

Ford leads MWSU in rebounding so far this season with 5.4 boards per game. She corralled a career-best 13 rebounds against Emporia State on Dec. 7, 2024.

Soderlund Shootin'
Matilda Soderlund transferred in from Morehead State, where she played 30 games and made five starts last season. The Stockholm, Sweden native led the Eagles last season with 45 made three-pointers.

Soderlund is averaging 11.5 points per game this season for the Griffs, having scored in double-digits eight times, including a career-best 24 points against McKendree. Soderlund is one of the sharpest shooters in the MIAA, making 41-of-87 attempts (47.1%) from long range, ranking second in the league and fifth in the nation in three-point percentage.

Soderlund is making 2.9 treys per game - the most in the MIAA and 9th most in the nation. Her 41 made threes is third most in the MIAA and tied for 16th most in the nation.

More D1 Experience
Laura Toffali joins the fold after a two-year stay at Kennesaw State. A Villasanta, Italy native, Toffali played in 38 games for the Owls over the last two years, including four career starts. She scored a total of 114 points over those two years.

Toffali has made nine starts this season for Missouri Western, scoring a career-best 14 points at Washburn on Jan. 8.

Marie Sepp comes to MWSU after two seasons at Division I University at Albany. She appeared in 54 total games and scored 38 total points in that time. So far at MWSU, Sepp is averaging 12.7 points per contest this season. She's scored 21 points, a career-best, against McKendree, Nebraska-Kearney and Washburn.

Malgorzata Byczkowska transferred after one year at Tarleton State. A native of Gdynia, Poland, Byczkowska spent the 2022-23 season at Howard College in Big Springs, Texas, earning WJCAC All-Conference honors. She averaged 13.1 ppg and 5.3 rpg that season as well.

Nebraska-Kearney Knowledge
Nebraska-Kearney is off to a strong start in the second year of the Drew Johnson era, currently sitting at 11-3 overall and 4-1 in MIAA play. Since losing to Missouri Western on Jan. 2, UNK scored tight wins at Northwest on Jan. 4 (48-46) and then at Emporia State on Jan. 11 (79-68 2 OT).

UNK currently ranks second in the MIAA in scoring offense (76.3) and scoring defense (55.1). The Lopers rank No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 5 in the nation in scoring margin (+21.1).

UNK is also No. 1 in the MIAA in offensive rebounding (14.1) and second in rebound margin (+8.6). The Lopers have done a great job of taking care of the basketball this season with a +5.21 turnover margin (1st MIAA). They're forcing an average of 20.2 takeaways per contest (1st MIAA), including 10.93 steals per game (1st MIAA).

 UNK returns seven letterwinners and four starters from a team last season that finished at 19-11 overall. Bailee Sobczak leads the Lopers in scoring with 11.2 points per game, while Samantha Moore leads the way with 7.4 rebounds per contest (8th MIAA).

Fort Hays State Facts
Despite taking their first loss of the year to Missouri Western on Jan. 4, the Tigers are still roaring, sitting at 13-1 overall and 4-1 in the MIAA. Hays comes in at No. 7 in the latest WBCA Coaches' Poll.

The Tigers have played just once since their loss in St. Joseph. Hays took care of Emporia State at home on Jan. 9, 87-65 - their eighth win this season by 20 or more points. A scheduled home game with Nebraska-Kearney on Jan. 7 was postponed to Feb. 26 due to weather.

Hays ranks No. 3 in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (31.0) and No. 2 in the nation in assists per game (19.5). Hays is holding their opponents to 33.3% shooting from the field, which is third best in the country. The Tigers are outscoring their opponents by an average margin of 20.3 points - good for seventh best in the country.

Under second-year head coach Talia Kahrs, Fort Hays State was picked to win the MIAA by the league's media this preseason, and the Tigers were ranked No. 23 to start the year. Hays went 25-8 last season, beating Northwest Missouri State in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to eventual national champion Minnesota State, 78-66, in regional semifinals in Bethany, Oklahoma.

Hays has a rich tradition in women's basketball, turning in 13 straight 20-win seasons. Hays returns nine players from a season ago, including four-time all-MIAA forward Olivia Hollenbeck, who leads the team with 17.1 points per contest (2nd MIAA). Hollenbeck is shooting an impressive 65.5% from the field - the second best clip in the MIAA and the fourth best of all NCAA DII players. Against Missouri Western, Hollenbeck was limited to 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting.

All-American guard Katie DeGarmo (formerly Katie Wagner) is back for another season, and currently leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game. Her 1947 career points is a new Fort Hays State program record. She ranks second in school history with 1034 career rebounds. DeGarmo has a remarkable 38 double-doubles in her career - 6 of those have come against Missouri Western.

Guard Brooke Loewe has been a brilliant facilitator for the Tigers this year, leading the MIAA with 7.1 assists per game (No. 3 in the nation).

Ashton Feldhaus, Marie Sepp interview