The Blue Jays played through some tough sets but didn't come away with a win in four games played Friday and Saturday at the Loras (Iowa) Invite.
Day 1 saw Westminster play a couple of four-set losses where one of those sets needed extra points to decide it. The Blue Jays won a 26-24 third set to Loras (25-12, 25-19, 24-26, 14-25) in the first match before dropping a 30-32 second set to Saint Mary's (25-18, 30-32, 14-25, 14-25). Day 2 would see Westminster lose in three to St. Olaf (16-25, 9-25, 13-25) and then lose in five to Grinnell (16-25, 25-15, 25-23, 17-25, 7-15).
Loras entered into its match with the Blue Jays 8-1 and had great start in this match, winning the first two sets. Loras had a 20-10 lead at one point in first to take it and then worked a little bit in the second after Westminster (2-9) tied it at 10 after a service ace by Kirsten Schrader. The Blue Jays had a 15-13 lead after an Eryka Wanyonyi kill, but Loras used a 5-0 run to eventually take the set.
Westminster had leads in the third set of 7-4 and 21-18 before Loras would come back to tie it at 7 or take a lead at 23-22. The score was tied at 24 until Gretchen Durbala had a kill to give them set point and then win it on a Loras error. The Blue Jays couldn't prevent Loras from taking a 16-6 set four lead and would lose the match.
Wanyonyi recorded her sixth double-double of the season, leading the Blue Jays with 10 kills and 18 digs. Durbala led with 28 assists.
Westminster would take the first set in the second match after a 9-0 run and four Saint Mary's attack errors. In the second set, the Blue Jays would go on an 8-0 run to erase Saint Mary's 15-8 lead to take one of their own. The teams went back-and-forth not letting the other team lead by more two points from that point on, but an attack error by Wanyonyi would end the stalemate in Saint Mary's favor.
The Blue Jays would drop the last two sets by double digits after falling behind 14-4 in set three and 19-9 in set four.
Wanyonyi had another double-double with a team-leading 18 kills and 13 digs. Durbala led in assists with 30 and service aces with four. Claire Whitehouse led with five total blocks.
Westminster fell behind early to St. Olaf, trailing 17-9 in the first set, before dropping that one. The second set saw the Blue Jays have an even slower start, trailing 16-3, before losing the second one. Kills by Wanyonyi and Haley Menke brought Westminster within four points in the third set before a 5-0 St. Olaf run staved off any further rallies.
Wanyonyi led with six kills while Erica Schrader led with 12 digs. Durbala only led the team with eight assists.
The Blue Jays found take a one-set lead after taking the first against Grinnell, recording 12 kills in the frame. Westminster then dropped the second set after committing seven errors, after only having four during set one. The third set was the most contested as Grinnell managed to win it by two points to take the 2-1 set lead.
While the kills and errors were about even in the third, Westminster had the advantage in the fourth hitting a game-high .333 hitting percentage to win set four. Grinnell would have 10 kills in the fifth set to win the match.
Wanyonyi led the Blue Jays with 18 kills while Menke had 11. Durbala led with 46 assists, Sophie Reimer led with 20 digs, Erica Schrader led with five service aces and Whitehouse had eight total blocks.
Westminster has now lost seven straight and will look to break the streak back in its conference schedule Sept. 28 at Principia.