KEARNEY, Neb. - No. 16 Griffon Volleyball fell to No. 5 Nebraska–Kearney on Friday night, dropping a 3–0 decision at the Health & Fitness Center in the regular season finale.
UNK took the match in straight sets, winning 25–19, 26–24, and 25–22. With the result, MoWest and UNK will share the 2025 MIAA Regular Season Championship, both finishing conference play at 13–3. Washburn will also have a chance to share the MIAA Regular Season Championship, currently sitting at 12–3 with its regular-season finale tomorrow.
The Griffons and Lopers traded points early in set one, with MoWest trailing 8-7. UNK then put together a strong run to build a 23–14 lead. The Griffons fought back to make it 23–18, but the Lopers ultimately closed out the opening set, 25–19.
In set two, it turned into a full-on battle with MoWest holding a narrow 16–15 edge. The Griffons responded with a four-point surge to go up 20–16, but UNK would not go away, bringing the set back to 23–23. After trading points, the Lopers closed out the frame, 26–24.
Set three opened with the Griffons jumping out to a 5-1 lead, forcing an early timeout. After both offenses traded runs, the set tightened back up at17-17. A 4-2 push by MWSU, capped by three straight kills from Taylor Russell, put MoWest ahead 21-19. However, UNK answered with a late surge and closed out the set 25-22.
Taylor Russell paced the Griffons with 11 kills, followed by Holly Heldt with nine and Noelle Sutcliffe with seven. At the service line, Lia Graham delivered two aces, while Emma Salker and Heldt each added one. Salker also led the blocking effort with nine blocks, with Russell contributing four and Emily Loy adding three. Hayley Barsky directed the offense with 16 assists, Katelyn Diani-O'Day added 14, and Anna Weberg finished with three. Defensively, Graham and Weberg anchored the back row with nine digs apiece, while Barsky chipped in eight.
What's Next
The Griffons are headed to the 2025 MIAA Volleyball Championship, hosted by the St. Joseph Sports Commission at the Civic Arena in downtown St. Joseph, Missouri. Tournament action runs Thursday, November 20 through Saturday, November 22.
Bracket details and additional information will be announced at the conclusion of all MIAA regular-season matches.
