The Webster University volleyball team opened play in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a pair of victories, beating Blackburn College 3-0 and Eureka College 3-0, on September 10, in Greenville, IL.  The Gorloks completed a stretch of four matches in Illinois in less than 24 hours with a 3-1 mark for the trip.

The Gorloks started the weekend with a pair of matches in Jacksonville, IL, on Friday night, September 9, defeating North Park University, 3-1, and losing to host Illinois College, 1-3.  After those two matches were marked by close sets across the board, Webster had an easier time Saturday as it improved to 6-2 on the season with two sweeps.

Against Blackburn, Webster took the opening set 25-6, and finished the victory by taking the next two sets, 25-21 and 25-17.  Seventeen Gorloks saw action in the contest.  Emily Knowles SR, Belleville, IL/Mascoutah) and Torie Grassi (SO, St. Louis, MO/Rosati-Kain) each had six kills, with Knowles hitting at a .750 percent for the match.  Katie O'Toole (SR, St. Louis, MO/Lutheran South) had 18 digs and Macee Owen (SO, Tuscon, AZ/Empire) had 17 for Webster.

Webster swept Eureka as well, winning 25-15, 25-16, and 25-12.  Jory Siebenmorgen (SR, Eureka, MO/Eureka) led with 11 kills and Owen added seven for the Gorloks.  As a team the Gorloks had a .280 attack percent for the match.  O'Toole had 15 digs and Maria Soffner (JR, Creve Coeur, MO/Incarnate Word Academy) had 13 in the contest. 

O'Toole is now tied for eighth on Webster's all-time career list for digs with 1439.  Webster Hall of Famer Melissa Zwilling (1999-2002) had 1439 digs in her career.

Webster is back home on September 13 to face Principia College at Grant Gymnsium.  The Gorloks hit the road again with a match at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL, on September 15, and head back to Greenville to face the host school and MacMurray College on September 17.