ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The No. 12 nationally ranked and No. 2-seeded MoWest volleyball team opened postseason play with a 3-1 victory over No. 7-seeded Northwest Missouri State on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the 2026 MIAA Volleyball Championship at the St. Joseph Civic Arena.
The Griffons (23-4, 10-2 MIAA) defeated the Bearcats (9-17, 6-6 MIAA) by set scores of 25-18, 17-25, 25-22 and 25-22 to advance to the tournament semifinals.
MoWest opened the match with a strong first-set performance, recording 15 kills while holding Northwest Missouri State to a .083 hitting percentage. The Griffons claimed the opening frame 25-18 to take a 1-0 advantage.
The Bearcats responded in the second set, hitting .313 with 18 kills to take the frame 25-17 and even the match at one set apiece.
The third set featured a closely contested battle as both teams recorded 14 kills. MoWest limited Northwest Missouri State to a .149 hitting percentage and secured a 25-22 victory to regain control of the match.
The Griffons delivered their most efficient offensive performance in the fourth set, hitting .297 with 13 kills and just two attack errors on 37 attempts. MoWest closed out the match with another 25-22 set victory to secure its spot in the semifinals.
Taylor Russell led the Griffon offense with a match-high 16 kills on 38 attempts, hitting .316 while adding four block assists. Noelle Sutcliffe followed with 11 kills, while Emily Loy contributed nine kills and three block assists.
Mackenzie Peters delivered an efficient performance with seven kills on 17 attempts, hitting .353 while adding five block assists and six digs. Brooklyn Gormley recorded five kills and a team-high eight block assists, helping the Griffons finish with 13 total blocks.
Defensively, Anna Weberg led all players with 31 digs, while Dakota Hendricks added 11 and Holly Heldt contributed nine. Katelyn Diani-O'Day directed the offense with 26 assists, followed by Emma Duff with 15.
Heldt and Duff each recorded two service aces, while Weberg, Hendricks and Peters added one apiece.
Up Next
The No. 2-seeded Griffons advance to the semifinals of the 2026 MIAA Volleyball Championship at the St. Joseph Civic Arena on Friday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. MoWest will face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between No. 3-seeded Washburn and No. 6-seeded Pittsburg State.
