Fulton, MO 11/2/2022- The Westminster College volleyball team hosted the Spalding University Golden Eagles in the 4-5 matchup of the SLIAC Volleyball Tournament quarterfinals. The Blue Jays are the four seed, and the Golden Eagles are the five. The two teams split the season series one game a piece with both games going to a fifth set.
Spalding would come out hot to take an early 11-6 lead in the first set. They would hold that lead to win the first set 25-21 to take an early 1-0 lead in the match, stunning the Blue Jay fans in attendance.
Westminster would find their footing in the second set; the set was tied 7-7 when the Blue Jays went on a five-to-one run to take a 12-8 lead. The Jays won the second set 25-18 after ending the set on a ten-to-five run.
The match was tied 1-1 to start the third set. Westminster exploded out to an 11-3 lead to start the set after scoring seven unanswered points. They would hold off a late rally by Spalding and win the set 25-19 to take a 2-1 match lead.
The Golden Eagles looking to keep their season alive jumped out to an 11-6 lead to start the fourth set. The Blue Jays would cut the lead to one at 19-18. Spalding would get two kills in a row followed by an ace to take a 22-18 lead. Coach Dalton Tucker would call a timeout to try and calm the nerves. Coming out of the timeout, the Golden Eagles would get a kill to go up 23-18. On the next point, Malena Bixby (New Berlin, IL/ New Berlin) got a kill for the Jays that would spark a four-point run and bring the set to 23-22. The rally would be too little too late as Spalding scored the next two points to win the set 25-33 and force a fifth set.
Freshman Meghan Nolte (Wentzville, MO / Wentzville) set the tone early in the fifth set getting a big kill to start the set 1-0. The two teams would trade points back and forth to bring the set to a 2-2 tie. The Blue Jays then ripped off seven straight points to take a commanding 9-2 lead. They would win the set 15-8 and the match 3-2. The victory sends the Blue Jays to the SLIAC Volleyball Tournament semifinals!
Spalding ends their season with a record of 8-17 overall and 7-7 in the SLIAC.
Westminster was led by Bixby who was big in this match, picking up a double-double with a team-high sixteen kills to go along with ten digs. She also had three block assists in the match. The Blue Jays had two other hitters get double-digit kills. Senior Eryka Wanyonyi (Columbia, Mo. / Hickman) had a performance to remember in her last game inside the Historic Gym. She had thirteen kills, a team-high twenty-one digs, and four aces. Nolte had eleven kills to go along with three block assists and one solo block, she was a force in the middle.
Other notable stats include setter Kate Rable (Saint Peters, Mo. / Fort Zumwalt South) getting thirty-three assists and ten digs, the third Blue Jay to have a double-double on the night. Kirsten Schrader (Imperial, MO / St. Pius X) had fifteen digs from the libero position. Westminster would have eighteen block assists in the game, Mackenzie Lowder (St. Clair, MO / St. Clair) and Celissa Kennedy (Ashland, MO / Southern Boone) combined for ten of them.
The Blue Jays will be back in action on Saturday, November 5th when they take on the top-seeded Greenville University at 2:00 PM in Greenville, Illinois. The winner of that match will take on the winner of Webster University vs Fontbonne University in the championship game at 7:00 PM.
