ST. LOUIS, Mo.    The Tabor Bluejays volleyball team headed to St. Louis, Missouri to play in the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy tournament on Friday. The Bluejays' first game was against the College of the Ozarks. Right after, they played the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy. Tomorrow, the ladies will be playing Cottey College and Georgetown College (Ky.) to wrap up their last tournament before conference play. 

In their first set against the Bobcats, the Bluejays held their ground and won 25-20. The College of the Ozarks got off to a good start and as the Bluejays inched their way back, but it just wasn't in time, dropping the set 14-25. With a back-and-forth third set, the ladies pulled out another win, 25-20. In the fourth set, the Bluejays couldn't be shut down and got a good lead to finish game one with a win, 25-15. 

"We knew Ozarks would play tough and came out strong and won the first set. The second set was a bit of a letdown for us and Ozarks played well. We regrouped and changed the lineup a bit and were able to take the 'W' after winning the 3rd and 4th sets. It was great to see the ladies play as a team and overcome some adversity. Emma Rhodes has been so consistent and sets up her hitters well. And our passing against Ozarks was really good, giving us opportunities to spread the offense. We also have Sammie Saunders back from injury and she played well in the final two sets giving us yet another offensive option," said Head Coach Casey Quiggle. 

A few key players included Sammie Saunders and Katie Lowery both with 7 kills, Kenna Brandes with 18 digs, and Emma Rhodes with 27 assists. 

After following with a win, the ladies played the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy. Despite the Eutectics being 0-12 on the year, they came out to play and beat the Bluejays 22-25 in the first set. During the second set, the ladies came back and tied it up with a score of 25-19. In the third set, the Bluejays pulled away and didn't look back, winning 25-13. In the fourth and final set, the beginning looked like it was going to be a rally when the Bluejays stepped up and pulled out another win, 25-17.

"Going into the USHP game, we weren't sure what to expect. And I think we were kind of calming down after an exciting win to start the day off. It definitely showed as we couldn't get any momentum resulting in losing the first set. However, our lady Bluejays were resilient and came back to win the next 3 sets. And this one was especially sweet as we were able to play everyone, including Kiana Unruh who just returned this past week from injury. It was a great team win," Head Coach Casey Quiggle said. 

Key players in this match were Fiona Sampaio with 9 kills, Sydney Biggs and Sammie Saunders with 7 kills, Kenna Brandes with 27 digs, and Emma Rhodes with 28 assists.

The Bluejays wrapped up their day with two wins, taking their overall record to 6-5. They start off their day tomorrow morning against Cottey College at 9:00 a.m. and around 1:00 p.m. they will play Georgetown College (Ky.). 

Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the NAIA and compete in the KCAC.