ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Lacrosse (9-7, 4-3 GLVC) is set to compete in the GLVC tournament, facing the top-seed and host, No. 5 Maryville Saints (16-1, 7-0 GLVC), in the semifinal match on Friday at noon. The game will be held at the Maryville University Field Hockey/Lacrosse Field in St. Louis.
GLVC TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
This season marks the Griffons' third consecutive appearance in the conference semifinals, as they aim for their first tournament victory after facing defeats against powerhouse UIndy in the previous two seasons.
Last Friday, the Griffs secured their spot in the tournament with a closely contested 11-8 victory over Lewis on the road.
MWSU will face the regular season champion Saints in the semifinal match. Maryville completed the regular season with an undefeated record of 7-0 in league play, earning the top seed and the privilege to host the tournament. On April 17 at Spratt Stadium, they triumphed over the Griffons with a score of 20-8, aided by a standout six-point performance from Marissa Zeno.
On the other side of the bracket, second-seed No. 8 UIndy (12-5, 6-1 GLVC) will take on third-seeded Rockhurst (13-3, 5-2 GLVC) at 3:00 p.m. UIndy aims to secure its fifth consecutive conference championship; no other team has won a tournament title. Rockhurst returns to the tourney after narrowly missing out last spring.
The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
For more information and updates, visit
https://glvcsports.com/sports/wlax.
FINAL GLVC REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS
| School |
Conf |
CPct. |
Overall |
Pct. |
Streak |
| Maryville |
7-0 |
1.000 |
16-1 |
.941 |
W16 |
| Indianapolis |
6-1 |
.857 |
12-5 |
.706 |
W4 |
| Rockhurst |
5-2 |
.714 |
13-3 |
.812 |
W1 |
| Missouri Western |
4-3 |
.571 |
9-7 |
.562 |
L1 |
| Quincy |
2-5 |
.286 |
8-8 |
.500 |
W1 |
| William Jewell |
2-5 |
.286 |
7-10 |
.412 |
L1 |
| Lewis |
2-5 |
.286 |
6-11 |
.353 |
L3 |
| McKendree |
0-7 |
.000 |
5-12 |
.294 |
L10 |
RACKKING UP THE ALL-GLVC ACALOADES
Missouri Western lacrosse received a total of eight All-Great Lakes Valley Conference accolades on Wednesday afternoon, with
Grace Williams being recognized as the GLVC Defender of the Year.
Senior attack/midfielder
Sam Pruitt received first-team honors for the second consecutive year, while junior attacker
Caetryn Gilreath earned a spot on the second team.
Williams earned her third career All-GLVC selection and became the second Griffon, along with
Mikaela Ness (2024), to be named GLVC Defender of the Year. The Ballwin, Missouri native led the GLVC with 32 caused turnovers (1.94 AVG/G) and ranked ninth in the league with 38 ground balls (2.38 AVG/G).
Against GLVC opponents, William ranked third in the league with ground balls (23, 3.29 AVG/G) and finished tied fourth in caused turnovers (10, 1.43 AVG/G). She was named the GLVC Defender of the Week twice this season.
Pruitt, the all-time leading scorer at Missouri Western with 248 career points and 178 goals, earned her fourth all-conference honor and second first-team nod. During league play, Pruitt scored 27 points, including 22 goals (5th GLVC) and provided five assists. She also recorded 12 ground balls, caused seven turnovers and won seven draw controls.
In Gilreath's return season with the Griffs, she did not disappoint, scoring 18 goals during GLVC play, and her 47 shots (6.71 AVG/G) ranked tied for fourth in the GLVC. Gilreath also had nine ground balls and caused five turnovers.
Rounding out the All-GLVC selections for Missouri Western were goalie
Ava Garaway, midfielder
Jordan Porter and defenders
Maleah Sosa and
Jazmine Servance, as they all earned honorable mention recognition.
Sophomore attacker
Ryann Durrett was the MWSU recipient of the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship award.
TOP GRIFFON PERFORMERS
Pruitt is leading the team with a total of 72 points, averaging 4.50 points per game (9th GLVC). The senior attack/forward has netted 49 goals (t-9th GLVC) and provided 23 assists across 16 games. Additionally, the Ellisville native has collected 31 ground balls, secured 20 draw controls and caused 17 turnovers. Sam is the program leader in several categories, including career points (248) and career goals (178).
Gilreath has had an impressive season, leading her team with 51 goals and averaging 3.36 goals per game (8th GLVC). In addition to her scoring, she has recorded two assists, resulting in a total of 53 points. The junior from Lowell, Massachusetts, Gilreath has also made significant contributions defensively by collecting 26 ground balls, causing 11 turnovers and securing eight draw controls for the Griffs.
Junior
Jessica Brook's 30 assists this season are the most a Griff has collected in a single season. The Savage, Minnesota, native set a new school record for single-game assists earlier this season by achieving seven assists in a match against CSU-Pueblo.
Williams has been a vital part of the Western defense, recording an impressive 31 caused turnovers. The GLVC Defender of the Year averaged 1.97 caused turnovers per game, the highest in the GLVC.
Sophomore
Brooke Tjernlund has made a significant defensive impact, recording 24 caused turnovers and securing 45 draw controls during the regular season. Additionally, Porter collected 32 ground balls, while freshman
Maddie Chidester amassed 41 draw controls.
Garaway (8-7) heads into the week with 152 saves (9.50 AVG/G), which ranks third in the league. The sophomore goalie has also gathered 36 ground balls and caused seven turnovers.
