SLIAC Volleyball Tournament Preview
| SLIAC Tournament At A Glance - 2022 SLIAC Volleyball Tournament Page | |||||
|
The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference will crown its 2022 champion this week with the start of the tournament. This week's tournament will start on Wednesday with a pair of quarterfinal matches as the top two teams earn byes. The tournament continues on Saturday with the semifinals and championship match being held in Greenville, Illinois. #3 Webster University will host #6 Blackburn College in one quarterfinal match while #4 Westminster College faces #5 Spalding University in the other. The winners will go on to face #1 Greenville University and #2 Fontbonne University. Admission for all tournament games will be $5 for adults, $3 for 16 and under. Both semifinal matches as well as the championship game with be broadcast live with College Casts. |
|||||
| #1 Greenville University PANTHERS | |||||
|
Panthers by the Numbers
|
A Look at the Panthers Greenville became the first program to put together back-to-back undefeated conference seasons since 2008 and 2009. The Panthers bring a seven-match winning streak into the tournament as they look to win their third consecutive tournament and seventh in the last eight years. Greenville is hitting a league-best .185 as a team and is second with 174 aces and 171 blocks. Mia Bonacorsi leads the SLIAC at 3.28 kills per set, adding 278 digs. Sacorra Patton is another option, recording 227 kills. Three more Panthers (Lainey Hicks, Madison Schmidt, and Mia DeJesus) have topped 100 kills as well. Hicks also leads the conference with 93 blocks. Kaitlin Murray and Amanda Hollis rotate the setter duties while Chasity Hill has 437 digs this year. |
|||
| #2 Fontbonne University GRIFFINS | |||||
|
Griffins by the Numbers
|
A Look at the Griffins Fontbonne put together its best conference season since 2005, earning a second-place finish under first-year head coach Jimmy Stika. The Griffins are hitting .171 as a team and average 11.70 kills per set while ranking second in the league in digs per set and blocks per set. The team uses a trio of hitters on its attack in Kristen Kaempfe (194 kills), Hannah Gallagher (185 kills), and Jadyn Fitzgerald (174 kills). Gallagher has also topped 200 digs this season while Kaempfe has 42 blocks. Emma Pramik leads the team with 340 digs and has added 34 aces. Ella Werner-Click is locked in as the team's setter, leading the SLIAC with 8.72 assists per set. |
|||
| #3 Webster University vs. #6 Blackburn College - Wednesday, November 2 in St. Louis, Mo. | |||||
|
Gorloks by the Numbers
|
A Look at the Gorloks The Gorloks will be making their conference record 28th appearance in the tournament. They are hitting .135 as a team and lead the league at 19.48 digs per set and are third in total blocks. The Gorloks have had to adjust their lineup without two-time SLIAC Player of the Year Lauran Borik available. In her absence, they have been able to spread the ball around with five other players reaching 100 kills this year. Kaylee Portell leads the way with 182 kills while hitting .252. Abby Jacobs, Alyssa Jones, Madison Katz, and Tyler Ramstack all have reached the century mark. Emma Leppien and Delaney Demman team up to run the setter position while Cassie Gray recently surpassed 500 digs this season, leading the SLIAC. |
|||
|
Beavers by the Numbers
|
A Look at the Beavers Blackburn is making its third straight tournament appearance, the first time the program has accomplished that since 1994-98. The Beavers are hitting .091 as a team and rank 6th in the league at 9.20 kills per set. The trio of Jessica Muckensturm, Emily Eitznhefer, and Elizabeth Bowyer form a group that each has at least 161 kills while Bowyer and Muckensturm also have topped 40 blocks. Alivia Reed leads the team with 353 assists while libero Autumn Wilson ranks 3rd in the conference with 384 digs and leads the team with 31 aces. |
|||
| #4 Westminster College vs. #5 Spalding University - Wednesday, November 2 in Fulton, Mo. | |||||
|
Blue Jays by the Numbers
|
A Look at the Blue Jays Westminster has won just one of their last nine matches with that win coming on Saturday against Nebraska Wesleyan. The Blue Jays are hitting .158 as a team and rank 3rd in the league at 11.24 kills per set. They are first with 280 aces and 192 blocks. The formidable net defense features three players with at least 60 blocks in Payton Bledsoe, Meghan Nolte, and Malena Bixby. Bixby also leads the team with 322 kills while Eryka Wanyonyi and Haley Menke are among the team's top offensive options. Kate Rable has handed out 739 assists this season while Gracie Henrikson and Kirsten Schrader each have topped 300 digs. |
|||
|
Golden Eagles by the Numbers
|
A Look at the Golden Eagles Spalding is coming off a 3-1 win over Blackburn, a win that snapped a three-match losing streak. The Golden Eagles are hitting .119 as a team and rank 3rd in the league in aces and 5th in blocks. Jayda Branch is the leader of the team, totaling 283 kills and 283 digs this season with 25 aces. Jordyn Sarver, Kayla Dunican, and Abigail Ratts have each topped 100 kills as well. Ratts leads the team with 66 blocks. Ella Clark paces the team with 6.34 assists per set while Brianna Terpening has a team-high 328 digs. |
|||
