ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – No. 7 Griffon Volleyball (16-1, 6-0 MIAA) fended off Fort Hays State (14-7, 3-4 MIAA) in five sets on Friday night at the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph.
Hays took the first set 25-22 before MoWest took the second by the same score.
The Tigers dominated the third, leading 20-9 and ultimately taking it, 25-18. The Griffons were limited to a .040 attack percentage in the third set.
After trailing 5-3 early in the fourth, MoWest began to turn the tide, taking a 6-5 lead in the fourth off of a service ace by
Hayley Barsky. The Griffs never trailed again in the fourth after that.
The Griffs took the fourth set 25-20, but then trailed 5-1 to open the fifth.
After a
Jessica Fey timeout, MoWest again turned the tide in their favor, throwing a pair of blocks and making it a 5-4 game. But, Hays took a 9-6 lead in the fifth and the Griffs spent their final timeout at that point.
Hays again had a lead at 13-12 in the fifth, but MoWest scored the final three points of the match to seal it, as
Emily Loy delivered the final blow on a kill.
The Griffs extend their win streak to nine matches and have now taken each of the last nine meetups with Fort Hays State dating back to 2022.
Taylor Russell turned in a season-best 17 kills.
Tanith Roush had 15, while Loy logged a season-best 12 kills also.
Holly Heldt had the double-double with 10 kills and a season-best 27 digs.
The Griffs tallied a season-best 16 blocks, but also had a season-worst 14 service errors. MoWest had 97 digs and outhit FHSU .225 - .193.
MoWest now gets set for a gargantuan match against No. 5 Nebraska-Kearney (18-1, 7-0 MIAA) at the MWSU Fieldhouse on Saturday. First serve is set for 1 p.m.
The match will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and streamed on the MIAA Network.
The Lopers, winners of 18 straight matches, won at Northwest Friday night, 3-1.
