One year ago Westminster College found themselves in a position to upset the top-ranked team in the SLIAC Volleyball Tournament and win its first championship since 2019. However on that night the Blue Jays came up short. Tonight an eerily similar situation unfolded for the Blue Jays but in 2026, they were able to close out the match and hand top-seeded Greenville University its first loss to a conference opponent in the 2026 season.

In 2025 Westminster held a 13-9 lead with serve in the fifth set but saw the host Panthers rally for their third championship in a row. This year the two teams went to a fifth set once again and the Blue Jays had a 14-12 lead with serve once more but saw the Panthers even the score up before taking a 15-14 lead. And this year it was the Blue Jays that would mount the final come back of the championship match, scoring the final three points to take the fifth set 17-15.

Greenville opened the match with the first four points before Westminster drew the score even. The match was tied at 19-19 when Westminster scored the next four points before closing out the set for a 25-20 win.

The second set saw the Blue Jays open up a 16-9 lead after an ace by Bridgette Starns. However the Panthers climbed back into the set and took a 25-24 lead after a service error by the Blue Jays. The Panthers kept a rally going, keeping an attack alive before Kennedy Legendre put the ball down for a 27-25 set win.

The third set saw the Panthers win 25-23, thanks in large part to five aces in the set. Abby Grohmann was a force in the set, recording back-to-back kills that put the Panthers up 23-21. Grohmann ended the set with another kill, putting the Panthers up two sets to one in the match. 

The fourth set saw Westminster hold a slight 12-11 edge. After a call was overturned that kept the Blue Jays from extending their lead, they showed their resolve by responding with back-to-back kills and an ace to take a 17-12 lead before cruising to a 25-17 win; the biggest set win of the night.

The two teams traded points throughout the fifth set before Westminster was able to open a 9-7 lead. That lead grew to 12-9 before the Panthers gave one last effort. Down 14-12 the Panthers picked up a kill by Grohmann and took advantage of back-to-back attack errors by the Blue Jays to move to match point with serve. 

With last year's experience still in their minds, the Blue Jays were able to remain calm and closed out the night with the final three points. Mackenzie Sansone tied the game up with Paige Rowland giving the Blue Jays the lead. An attack error by Greenville ended the match, giving the Blue Jays their first SLIAC tournament championship since 2019.

In last year's championship match Westminster managed just three aces and was out blocked 20-10 by Greenville. But this year's difference stood out in those two categories with the Blue Jays finishing with 14 blocks to Greenville's 13 and recording 14 aces. Westminster's Erica Vogel finished with a team-high 18 kills while Haylie Schnake totaled 29 digs; season high numbers for both players.

Westminster improves to 21-10 overall and earns the league's automatic qualifier spot to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship.