ST. LOUIS - Westminster volleyball opened the 2019 season with a 3-0 sweep of North Park at the WashU Invitational.
After a slow start in which the Blue Jays fell behind 10-4, Westminster picked up the pace with four straight points, including two kills from Natalie Needy. A kill from Teresa Becker and two aces from Needy tied the match at 11 points apiece.
After a kill from freshman Payton Bledsoe, Westminster took a 13-12 lead and never looked back in set one, taking a 25-21 win.
The Vikings again took a quick lead in set one, capitalizing on Blue Jay errors for an 8-4 lead. After North Park mistakes and back-to-back kills from Allie Kennebeck, Westminster was able to tie the set at 10. After another Kennebeck kill tied the game at 11, Westminster scored six straight points to take a 17-11 lead. Westminster took the win 25-20, ending the set on a kill from Ashley Kistaitis and two error from North Park.
After trading points in set three, Westminster finally broke away after a tie at 9, taking a 17-11 lead on three kills from Eryka Wanyonyi. The Blue Jays took the third set sweep, 25-21, ending the set on a block from Bledsoe and Wanyoni.
Wanyonyi led the offense with 11 kills, followed by Kennebeck with 10. Becker assisted on 31 of the 37 Blue Jay kills, while Becker and Erica Schrader led the defense with 16 digs each.
In game two, Westminster found themselves on the other end of a sweep, falling 3-0 to Cornell. After dropping the first two sets 25-20, the third match fell 25-17.
Kistaitis led the way with 11 kills while Becker added 28 assists, with Schrader contributing 13 digs.
Westminster plays the final match of the WashU Invitational Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against Hendrix.
