Fulton, Mo 11/4/2023- The Westminster College volleyball team hosted Greenville University and Webster University for a tri-match in the regular season finale. It would also be senior day as the Blue Jays honored their five seniors. The Blue Jays would face the Gorloks in the first match of the day and win in five sets (25-20, 24-26, 21-25, 25-17, 15-13). The Panthers would defeat the Gorloks in four sets in the neutral match. Westminster would then take on Greenville to cap off the day. The Panthers would win set one and set four, while the Blue Jays would win sets two and three. Westminster would pull off the win in the fifth set winning 15-10 over Greenville. With the wins, the Blue Jays finished the regular season with an 18-13 record overall and 13-5 in the conference. Westminster will be the three seed in the SLIAC Conference Tournament next week. 

Game One: Vs Webster University  

The Blue Jays would come out and win set one 25-20. The Gorloks would answer by winning a close second set 26-24. Webster would also win a tight set three 25-21 to take a 2-1 match lead. The Blue Jays responded by dominating set four 25-17 and kept the momentum going, pulling out the match win 15-13 in the fifth a final set.  

Senior Malena Bixby led the Blue Jays in kills, 15 and digs 20. Meghan Nolte and Kylie Hasselbacher both had 12 kills in the match. Madisyn Ellis had nine kills to round out the balanced Blue Jay attack. Defensively, two other Blue Jays would have double-digit digs, Haylie Schnake picked up 16 and libero Kirsten Schrader had 14 digs in the match. The trio of Bixby, Schnake and Schrader were flying all over the court. Braylee Montgomery had 26 assists and Elle Turner had 16 assists from the setter position. Montgomery and Schanke would have three aces each.  

Game Two: Vs Greenville University  

In the final match of the day, the Blue Jays would face off against the top team in the SLIAC, the Greenville Panthers. The Panthers would win set one 25-21. The Blue Jays would win the next two sets, 25-22 and 25-20 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Greenville roared back to set four 25-14. The Blue Jays would pull away in the fifth and win 15-10. The Blue Jays defeated the Panthers for the second time in their last three matchups.  

Malena Bixby and Madisyn Ellis led the Blue Jay attack with 14 kills each. Kylie Hasselbacher put down 11 kills and Meghan Nolte would floor nine kills herself. The Blue Jays would have four players with double-digit digs. Elle Turner had a team high of 13. Haylie Schnake and Kirsten Schrader would each have 12. Malena Bixby would pick up 10 digs as well. Meghan Nolte and Kylie Hasselbacher combined for eleven of the Blue Jays eighteen blocks in the game.  

The Blue Jays will be back in action in the SLIAC tournament next week. Westminster will host Blackburn College on Wednesday, November 8th. Game time is set for 7 pm.