ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — On Senior Night, No. 23 MoWest Volleyball outlasted (RV) Emporia State in a five-set thriller (31-29, 25-16, 20-25, 18-25, 15-11) on Friday night inside the MWSU Fieldhouse at Looney Complex.

The Griffons started strong, grinding out a 31-29 opening set before rolling through Set 2 with dominant offense and energy. Emporia fought back to even the match, taking Sets 3 and 4 behind a surge of late momentum. In the decisive fifth frame, MoWest regrouped and controlled the tempo early, closing out the Hornets 15-11 to secure the victory.

The Griffs avenged their early-season loss to the Hornets with the win tonight, marking back-to-back five-set victories and extending their win streak to nine straight matches. The result also moves MoWest into a three-way tie for first place in the MIAA standings alongside Nebraska Kearney and Washburn, all sitting at 10–2 in conference play.

Noelle Sutcliffe led the Griffons offensively with 12 kills, while Taylor Russell, Trista Marx, Emily Loy, and Holly Heldt each followed with nine apiece. Emma Salker added eight kills and made her presence felt at the net with nine blocks. Anna Weberg anchored the defense with a match-best 30 digs, while Heldt added 15. Hayley Barsky guided the offense with 22 assists and also chipped in eight digs.

After the match, the Griffons honored their three seniors — Emma Salker, Trista Marx, and Lia Graham — for their impact and contributions to the program in what marked the final home match of the season inside Looney. MoWest will now close out the regular season with a four-match road swing.

Up Next
MoWest Volleyball hits the road for another MIAA weekend slate, beginning Friday, Nov. 7, at Central Missouri with first serve at 6 p.m. in Warrensburg. The Griffons then head south to Joplin to take on Missouri Southern on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m.