CARLINVILLE, Ill. – The W volleyball team took control of its own post-season destiny, thanks to its 3-1 upset at Blackburn College, the third-place team in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC). With three conference matches remaining, the Owls (7-15, 4-7 SLIAC) now firmly occupy the sixth – and final – SLIAC post-season spot, thanks to its 23-25, 25-18, 25-21, 30-28 win over the Beavers (10-12, 5-5 SLIAC).
 
If MUW wins those final three league bouts - two versus Spalding (currently behind the Owls in seventh place) and one versus Webster (in fifth, a half-game ahead of The W) – it would qualify for its first-ever SLIAC tournament, no matter what other teams do. Anything less, and the Owls would still have a chance, but depend on other team's results to help them.
 
"It's tough to win on the road and to beat the same team twice in the SLIAC," The W Head Coach Breylee Linder said. "I am so proud of the team for showing their mental toughness and how hard they have worked all season. I think they are proving to themselves, and to everyone else, that they belong in the conference tournament and can compete with the top teams."
 
And Sunday's ambush of the Beavers for the second time in 2025, greatly helped MUW's aspirations. You got the feeling that the Owls might have something special going, despite losing the first set. Trailing early in the set, 10-3, The W batted back to tie the set at 23-23, before Blackburn netted the final two points to secure the win.
 
In set two, the Owls built an 11-6 lead early and never looked back. Likewise, MUW pulled ahead 16-10 and held off a late BC rally to win by four points.
 
The fourth set proved to be a donnybrook affair. The W fell behind, 5-1, early, before knotting the set at 6-6. The match was still tied at 12-12, after which the Beavers clawed their way to a 24-21 advantage and looked ready to ice the set and send the match to a fifth set.
 
But the Owls had different ideas.
 
Madyson McBrayer's kill got the sideout for the Owls and made it 22-24. With Avery Watts serving for The W, two successive attack errors by Blackburn leveled the set at 24-24 and started the two teams trading the advantage. Down by a point, back-to-back kills from sophomore Megan Neeb got the sideout and set MUW up at match point, 29-28. Libero Brooklyn Comfort served the winning point as a Beavers' attack error put The W in the win column, 30-28.
 
Junior transfer Skye Letson had another monster match for MUW, with a season-high 19 kills to lead all players. Letson also had a sterling .326 attack average for the match. It was Letson's 11th-consecutive match with double-digit kill totals and 15th, overall, in 2025.
 
Letson's efforts led a quartet of Owls who registered double figures in kills versus the Beavers. Neeb and McBrayer would each finish with 15 kills, with Sydney Barrett's 13 kills rounding out the group. Neeb was an all-around weapon for Linder's squad, leading all players with 27 digs and serving up three aces.
 
Junior setter Kinsley Kennedy continued to rewrite the modern era record book. Kennedy became the first setter in MUW's NCAA III era to have 50 assists in a match, giving off 54 "helps" versus Blackburn, to set the single-match record.  Kennedy also made 11 digs for her 12th double-double of the season.
 
Comfort added 19 digs and Watts chipped in an MUW season-high six aces in the win.
 
The W will next take a brief respite from its SLIAC slate to visit Freed-Hardeman University on Thursday (October 23/7 p.m.).