Griffins open SLIAC play 1-1

Carlinville, Ill. - Fontbonne women's volleyball dropped their opening St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match against Iowa Wesleyan in four sets 20-25, 25-22, 18-25 and 19-25. Immediately following, the Griffins swept Eureka 25-21, 25-20 and 25-15.

Maddie Stadler led the defense against Iowa Wesleyan with 24 digs. In total, six Griffins tallied double-digit digs including Emily Merick (15), Krista Beyer, Lynsey Wehrenberg, Kersten McDonough (13 each) and Mandy DeWitt (12). Iowa Wesleyan's short serving took its toll on the Griffins. Both teams were reserved in their attacking strength, trying to strategically place the ball instead of opting for more power options at the net.

Against Eureka, DeWitt tallied 12 digs and 19 assists. Wehrenberg added an additional 17 assists. Merick and McDonough added 16 and 17 kills respectively.

On the day, the Griffins totaled 82 kills, 145 digs, 10 service aces, 18 block assists and 5 solo blocks. Carissa Dodge totaled seven block assists and two solo blocks, leading the defense at the net.

Fontbonne travels to MacMurray Tuesday for a 7pm SLIAC matchup. The Griffins host a SLIAC quad on Saturday, playing Spalding at 11am and Westminster at 1pm.