FULTON, Mo. - Westminster volleyball took a loss to Principia in a five-set thriller.
Westminster is now 9-3 in SLIAC play and 13-9 overall.
"We need to find a way to dig deep and put a team away when they are fighting it to stay in it," said Head Coach Curtis Madson. "That is a typical Principia team, they work so hard all match and make you earn it. We have to give them credit and learn from that example."
The Blue Jays started the match off strong with two straight set wins. Westminster won the first set in a close 25-22 match, while the second set was won 25-14.
After the first two sets, the Panthers took control of the game and capitalized on every Westminster mistake to fight back for three consecutive set wins.
The Blue Jays served their best match of the year with 17 aces, 10 of which came from Ashley Kistaitis.
"This was one of the best serving nights we had all year," said Madson. "We came out serving well in sets one and two - all of our aces except for two came during that time. Principia cleaned up there and really forced the issue."
Elizabeth Kelley was dominant for Westminster with 13 kills for a .600 hitting percentage. Kayla Reeg added 43 assists and 25 digs for the Blue Jays.
Westminster continues its homestand Thursday with a match against Blackburn at 7 p.m. in Historic Gymnasium.