ST. LOUIS, Mo.    The Bluejays started the tournament off on a good note going 2-0 beating College of the Ozarks and the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy. On day two, the ladies played Cottey College and Georgetown College (Ky.).

In a few back-and-forth sets, the Bluejays pulled out another win to add to their season as Cottey College put up a battle but it was not enough. The Lady Bluejays had great defense and offense to make them 3-0 in the tournament. Set scores were 25-19, 25-19, 26-24. 

Some big players in this match included Sammie Saunders with 20 kills and Fiona Sampaio with 12 kills. Emma Rhodes had 40 assists, while Kenna Brandes and Macy Rowan had 25 and 14 digs, respectively.

"Coming into Saturday we were confident but knew we needed to play well as both Cottey and Georgetown are competitive and have good teams. The ladies came out strong and played well throughout the match; allowing us to win and get the sweep. Once again, Emma Rhodes played great and set up our offense well. And our defense stepped up again, frustrating Cottey and extending points. Kenna Brandes, Tori Maldonado, Macy Rowan, and Naera Tschus have been a constant on defense this season and all of them are making it tough on opponents to earn quick points. Sammie Saunders and Fiona Sampaio are playing great on the outside and playing smart too. Against Cottey, Valarie Allen saw significant time and did her job on the right side," Head Coach Casey Quiggle said. 

In the last match of the tournament, the Bluejays played the Georgetown Tigers. In the first set, the Bluejays fell just short, ending 22-25. Following that, the ladies fought back and won the second set, 25-17. Going back and forth in the third set, the Bluejays got close but it wasn't enough, falling 23-25. After a huddle the ladies came out and never looked back, winning 25-16 in the fourth set and 15-10 in the fifth set to pull out the win.

Key players for the Bluejays included Sampaio with 14 kills, Rhodes with 39 assists, and Brandes with 24 digs. 

"We had watched film on Georgetown and knew they had a high-powered offense. They definitely have a lot of offensive weapons and pushed us throughout the match. As you can see from the scores, it was competitive throughout the match. Even after dropping the 1st and 3rd sets, we kept our composure and pressed on til the end. Our blocking picked up with Katie Lowery, Brindelyn Schneider, and both Fiona and Sammie adding some much-needed blocks as the match went on. In the 5th set, we took control early on and didn't look back. It was a great tournament for us. It matched us up with competitive teams and was good preparation as we begin KCAC. I'm proud of the entire team for going out there and playing to the best of their abilities," Quiggle said.

After the 4-0 weekend, this takes the Bluejays overall record to 8-5. Their next match will be their conference opener against the Southwestern Moundbuilders in Hillsboro, Kansas on September 23 at 2:00 p.m.