Griffins edged by Spalding and Iowa Wesleyan

St. Louis- In a very loud volleyball atmosphere Saturday morning and afternoon, the Fontbonne University Griffins played host to five St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matches. Fontbonne played Spalding at 10am and Iowa Wesleyan at noon.

With Spalding coming out to a decisive 25-17 first-set victory, Fontbonne turned the tables, securing their first lead 24-23 and holding on for the 25-23 upset. The Griffin fell 19-25 during the third set, and after tying the fourth set at seven, would lead the set the rest of the way, sliding in for a 25-15 win. Fifth set woes settled in for Fontbonne as the Golden Eagles flew away, sealing the game winner with a 15-6 victory.

Freshman Rachel Barnes was behind the service line for nine consecutive serves during the fourth set, directing her team to the win. Freshman Madeline Stadler led the offensive threat for the Griffins, amassing 21 kills for a game and current career high. Stadler was second on the team in digs with 18, just three shy of teammate Krista Beyer's 24 game-high digs. Once again Mandy DeWitt and Lynsey Wehrenberg shared in the assist categories with 25 and 20 respectively. Wehrenberg also recorded 12 digs and Barnes contributed with 11. Abbie Bergtholdt (12 kills) and Emily Weaver (11 kills) were both offensive threats against the Golden Eagles. 

Against the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers, Fontbonne fell 25-19, 21-25, 16-25 and 20-25. Stadler achieved another career-high in kills, barely breaking her record with 22 kills while also having 12 digs.Even though Fontbonne lost, they accumulated one more kill than the Tigers. Iowa Wesleyan was strong defensively at the net, scoring 10 total blocks to the Griffins' 5.

The Griffins travel to Principia tomorrow for their final 7pm SLIAC contest.