Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern volleyball team will be back on the road this week as the Lions travel to Central Missouri on Friday and Missouri Western on Saturday.
 
Match times are 7 pm on Friday night at Central Missouri and 3 pm on Saturday at Missouri Western.
 
The Lions (9-11, 4-7 MIAA) are coming off a win at home on Tuesday against Newman where the team came-from-behind to win a five-set thriller over the Jets.
 
Southern ranks tenth nationally in total attacks, while ranking 13^th in kills, 16^th in assists and 20^th in digs. The Lions rank third in the MIAA in both kills and attacks, while ranking fourth in digs and fifth in assists.
 
 Individually, Abbie Casper ranks third nationally in total digs and fifth nationally in digs per set. Casper is second in the MIAA in both those categories. Sophie Mader is 23^rd nationally in total assists, while ranking fifth in the league and Fernanda Canedo is 14^th nationally in total attacks, ranking second in the MIAA in that stat.
 
Canedo averages 2.95 kills per set and 2.84 digs per set this year. Amelia Neels is hitting .366, ranking third in the MIAA in that category, while Mader is averaging 9.01 assists per set this year. Casper averages 5.59 digs per set, while Kierson Maydew has a team-high 69 blocks and Neels has 61 of her own.
 
Central Missouri (12-8, 7-4 MIAA) has won three of the last five matches, but the Jennies have lost their last two against Washburn and Northwest Missouri.
 
The Jennies are led by Kersti Nix who averages 3.61 kills per set, while Chandler Vaughan averages 8.74 assists per set. Rylie Barnum has a team-high 4.77 digs per set, while Jenna Schulte has 97 blocks, averaging 1.47 per set.
 
Missouri Western (6-13, 3-8 MIAA) lost to the Lions on September 27 in Joplin. The Griffons have gone 2-5 since that match.
 
Western is led by Danielle Moje with 2.71 kills per set, while Nessa Johnson averages 7.45 assists per set, while leading the time with 19 service aces. Lia Graham has a team-high 3.88 digs per set, while Lily Kurz leads the Griffons with 64 blocks and Moje has 52 of her own.
 
Live stats and video will be available for each match and links to each can be found in the story links section above.
 
After this match, the Lions will be back home on Oct. 18 to play host to Central Oklahoma at 6 pm inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.