Westminster volleyball opened its 2026 season with a five-set loss to Arkansas Tech, 3-2 (25-20, 23-25, 27-25, 17-25, 7-15), on Friday at Lee Arena. The match lasted two hours and 17 minutes in front of 284 fans. Brian Lorimer and John Birdwell officiated.
GAME BREAKDOWN
Set One
Westminster opened the match on the front foot, hitting .108 as a team to Arkansas Tech's .097 and taking the set 25-20. Claire Cook led the way with six kills on 11 attempts (.364), and Elsa Gilmore added two kills on a .286 clip in the set.
Set Two
Arkansas Tech flipped the offensive script, hitting .154 behind Savannah Meyer's four kills and 18 team digs to even the match with a 25-23 win. Westminster hit just .026 in the set, with Gilmore's three kills its top offensive mark.
Set Three
Westminster reclaimed the match lead, 2-1, with a 27-25 win, hitting a match-best .190 as a team. Gilmore went error-free with four kills on six attempts (.667), Cook added five kills, and Tiia Heikkinen ran the offense efficiently with eight assists on a .727 setting percentage. Alie Coleman also served up four aces in the set.
Set Four
Arkansas Tech won the set 25-17 to force a decisive fifth, hitting .265 behind Henley Hooks' four kills and Erika Hernandez's three. Westminster hit just .071 as a team, with Clara Philipsson going a perfect 3-for-3 without an error.
Set Five
Hooks took over in the finale, hitting .600 with six kills to lead Arkansas Tech to a 15-7 win and the match. Westminster managed only a .091 hitting percentage as a team down the stretch.
The match featured 23 tie scores and nine lead changes.
GRIFFIN PERFORMANCES
- Claire Cook led Westminster with 15 kills on 42 attempts (.190) to go with eight digs.Â
- Elsa Gilmore added 13 kills on 37 attempts, hitting .270.Â
- Jocelyn Grieser posted nine kills and four block assists.
- Tiia Heikkinen recorded 26 assists and 10 digs
- Nora Elliot added 16 assists, two aces and seven digs.Â
- Ava Livolsi paced the defense with 26 digs.
As a team, Westminster hit .102 (48-31-167) with 45 assists, 13 aces and 68 digs.
Arkansas Tech was led by Henley Hooks, who posted 19 kills on .436 hitting with five block assists. Erika Hernandez added 11 kills at a .391 clip, and Kenzie Garrett ran the offense with 30 assists.
UP NEXT
Westminster continues Washburn Invitational play today at 3:30 p.m. MT against Oklahoma Christian University. The Griffins will play four matches total at the tournament.
