Griffins Fall In Straight Sets Against No. 14 WashU And Webster

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University women's volleyball team opened the year with two tough losses against No. 14 WashU and rival Webster on Friday at the Bear Invite.

Game One

Final: No. 14 WashU def. Fontbonne (25-8, 25-12, 25-8)

Location: St. Louis, Mo.

Records: WashU 1-0, Fontbonne 0-1

How It Happened

In the first set, the Bears opened with an 11-3 lead on a block assist from Hannah Turner and Caitlin Lorenz. From there, the team was able to go on for the 25-8 win.

In the second set, the Griffins trailed 7-3, though a service ace from Rae Andrews, a kill from Olivia Tallo, and another service ace from Andrews trimmed the deficit down to 7-6.

However, the Bears gained some breathing room by going on an 11-3 run and never looked back en route to the 25-12 win.

In the third set, a kill from Maura Rabun put Fontbonne down 8-5. The Bears were able to close out the set and the match on a 17-3 run for the 25-8 set and match win.

Inside The Numbers

• Fontbonne totaled 10 kills and 22 errors for a negative .161 hitting percentage.
• WashU ended with 34 kills and a .429 hitting percentage.
• Defensively, WashU came away with 39 digs and eight block assists.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Maura Rabun led with five kills and a .182 hitting percentage.
• Jessica Molden contributed five assists and Megan Schaller led with five digs.

WashU Leaders

• Michaela Bach led with a match-high eight kills and a .312 hitting percentage. Hannah Turner totaled five kills and a .625 hitting percentage.
• Samantha Kaiser dished out a match-high 12 assists and Zoe Baxter led the group defensively with a match-high nine digs.

Game Two

Final: Webster def. Fontbonne (25-13, 25-7, 25-21)

Location: St. Louis, Mo.

Records: Webster 1-1, Fontbonne 0-2

How It Happened

In the first set, a kill from Olivia Tallo put Fontbonne down 5-4. The Gorloks answered with an 11-0 run to take a 16-4 lead. From there, the Gorloks went on for the 25-13 win on a Jordan Price kill. Webster had a match-high 16 kills in the first set and a .300 hitting percentage.

In the second set, it was back-and-forth play until the Gorloks gained some breathing room with a 14-7 lead. The team went on to close out the set on an 11-0 run for the 25-7 win.

In the third, the two teams met-up at 11-11 on a kill from Tallo. The Gorloks gained some breathing room at 17-12, but the Griffins went on a 4-0 run of its own on two kills from Tallo and two service aces from Kelly Herr to force a Webster timeout.

Out of the break, a kill from Rabun and a Webster attack error gave the Griffins a 19-18 lead. However, the Gorloks finished set off on a 7-2 run for the 25-21 set and match win.

Inside The Numbers

• Fontbonne totaled 16 kills and a negative -.049 hitting percentage. They did total a season-high 50 digs.
• Webster ended with 35 kills and a .202 hitting percentage.
• The Gorloks got it done at the service line with 13 service aces.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Tallo led with a season-high seven kills and .192 hitting percentage. Herr contributed a season-high four as well.
• Setter Jill Reando recorded her first double-double as a Griffin with 13 assists and 11 digs.
• Defensively, Megan Schaller posted a season-high 18 digs.

Webster Leaders

• Lauren Borik led with a match-high eight kills and a .278 hitting percentage.
• Setter Jenna Rodriguez compiled 18 assists, while Kristen Farrah earned a match-high 22 of the teams 58 digs.

Up Next

The Griffins are right back at it tomorrow morning at the Bear Invite when they'll take on North Park at 10:30 a.m. They'll finish out the weekend against Cornell College at 12:30 p.m.

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the women's volleyball team.

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