St. Louis, MO, 10/2/21 – The Blue Jay volleyball team was preparing for their fifth game in the last five days Saturday afternoon. They were facing off against the up and coming Fontbonne University Griffins on their home court. No one could blame the Blue Jays if they were tired and run down. The Blue Jays would reach down deep and storm to their fifth win in as many days in a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 27-25) sweep of the Griffins. The win improved the Blue Jay record to 7-9 and 3-1 in the SLIAC. Fontbonne fell to 4-8 overall and 3-2 in the SLIAC.
Eryka Wanyonyi (Columbia, MO / Hickman) continued her fantastic junior campaign as she racked up 18 kills while hitting .405. She was complimented by Haley Menke (O'Fallon, MO / Fort Zumwalt West) and Payton Bledsoe (Mexico, MO / Mexico) who each recorded seven kills. Bledsoe hit a team high .429. Gretchen Durbala (Burlington, IA / Burlington) once again led the Jays with 38 assists. Blue Jay libero Erica Schrader (Imperial, MO / St. Pius X) led the defense with 14 digs. Claire Whitehouse (St. Louis, MO / Parkway Central) recorded three solo blocks and six total blocks to lead the Jays. Heather Ripperger (Hillsboro, Mo. / Hillsboro) and Durbala each recorded two service aces, tops for the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays will now get a couple days to catch their breath and regain their legs before their next match. They will be back at home on Tuesday October 5th. They will welcome Webster University to Historic Gym for a SLIAC showdown. The match is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. first serve.
