DENVER, Colo. – The 21st ranked Missouri Western volleyball team went 1-1 on day one of the Colorado Premier Challenge Friday as they’re now 5-1 this season.
After taking the first set at No. 10 Regis (3-2) – Missouri Western’s 13th-straight to open the season – the Griffons eventually fell in four sets to the co-host of the stacked field. The Griffons bounced back with an impressive sweep of Angelo State (5-2) on Friday afternoon.
On the day, the Griffons hit .247 as a team with nine aces and averaged 2.29 blocks per set. Stephanie Doak turned in 32 kills, averaging 4.57 per set with a .323 hitting percentage. Doak also scored 36.5 points on the day, adding 14 digs, five total blocks and two aces. Ali Tauchen had 21 kills on .342 hitting with 18 digs and eight total blocks. Lauren Murphy led the team with 84 assists and Audrey Keim had a team-high 23 digs.
MATCH 1: #10 Regis 3, #21 Missouri Western 1
Missouri Western fought off a late charge by the home team in the first set to win its 13th straight set of the season, 25-23. Regis used runs in each of the next three sets to hand the Griffons their first loss of the season. After hitting .114 in the first set, Missouri Western improved to .270 in the second and .312 in the third, but gave up .394 and .316 to Regis in each of those sets. For the match, MWSU hit .215 while Regis hit .326. The Griffons did total 10 blocks in the match to Regis’ four. Tauchen had six blocks to go with her 10 kills. Doak led MWSU with 16 kills.
MATCH 2: #21 Missouri Western 3, (RV) Angelo State 0
The Griffons bounced back in match two with some big runs. Down 13-9 in the first set, Missouri Western climbed back to eventually stake a 21-19 lead. Angelo State climbed back to go up 24-23, but the Griffons took the set 26-24. Angelo State jumped out to a 10-6 lead in the second, but the Griffons chipped away then pulled away to win the set 25-19. In the third, Missouri Western found themselves down 8-1 then 9-3 before a 7-0 run gave MWSU a lead it never surrendered. Doak turned in 16 kills again, hitting .324 in the match and scoring 18.5 points for the Griffons. Tauchen added 11 kills on .563 hitting; a team-high 12 digs, two aces and two blocks.
Saturday’s match times and opponents will be announced after the conclusion of all of Friday’s matches. The Griffons will open Saturday against either No. 8 Southwest Minnesota State, (RV) Saint Leo or Colorado Christian.
— MWSU Athletics —