Griffon Volleyball goes 2-2 at UNK Fall Classic

By Kyle Inman

The Griffon Volleyball team broke even with two wins and two losses in the UNK Fall Classic tournament over the weekend in Kearny, Neb.

“I’m overall happy with how everything turned out and I think we are getting closer to playing competitive with the top 25 teams every time we get on the court,” said Coach Cory Frederick.

Senior Tahler Johnston was named to the All-Tournament team for her outstanding play during the tournament.  She tallied 43 kills and 31 digs during the weekend.

“We are kind of our worst enemy right now,” Johnston said. “Nobody is outplaying us or beating us we are beating ourselves. We are making errors and we can change that and get better.”

Chadron State was the Griffons first opponent of the weekend.  Western swept all three games, winning 25-17, 25-23 and 25-23.  Freshman Shelby Corkill led the team with 13 kills in the first match.

The Griffons faced off against 5th ranked Nebraska-Kearny Lopers in their second match of the tournament.  Western was outplayed by the home team and lost the match 3-0 25-10, 25-17, 25-14.  Western was led by Johnston with nine kills, while Stephanie Hattey had 18 assists and 11 digs.

On Sunday the Griffons started the day by defeating Black Hills State 3-0 by game scores of 25-14, 25-13, 25-9. Alexandra Behnke led the Griffons with 12 kills.

“I think we played pretty well for the beginning of the season,” said freshman Sarah Faubel. “Our team has really good chemistry for being such a young team.”

The second match of Sunday featured the Griffons facing off against the 10th ranked Wayne State and was defeated 3-0 with scores of 25-17, 25-19, 25-15. Johnston led the Griffons with 14 kills on the match.

Western will play its first home game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 17 against MIAA Conference opponent Fort Hays State at 4 p.m.