The Webster University women's volleyball team had a near miss of a memorable season opener as it fell to #15 ranked Hope College (MI) on September 1 at the Washington University Invitational. The Gorloks were nipped, 3-2, as they had the upset in their grasp in the tie-breaker, 16-14, as they fell to the Flying Dutch. Webster lost its second match of the day to Cornell College (IA), 3-0.
In the match against Hope, the Gorloks went head to toe with the Flying Dutch in
set one before losing, 25-21. The teams were tied at 9-9 before Hope went on a 4-0 run, prompting a Webster timeout. The Gorloks scored three straight points out of the timeout to pull within one, at 13-12. The Gorloks would get within a point of the Flying Dutch six more times in the set, the last being at 21-20, before Hope won at 25-21.
The teams traded points early in
set two before Hope built a 9-5 lead. Webster fell behind, 21-14, before a 6-2 run put the Gorloks within three at 23-20. The Flying Dutch took the next two points and the set, 25-20, taking a 2-0 match lead.
Webster made it a 2-1 match, winning
set three, 25-20. Webster tied it at 7-7 after a 4-0 run. Hope was leading 13-11 when the Gorloks went on a 7-0 run. After a Hope ball handling error, Maria Soffner (SR, Creve Coeur, MO/Incarnate Word Academy) served six straight points, including two service aces. An Emi Beining (SR, Festus, MO/Lutheran South) kill also contributed to the run that gave Webster an 18-13 lead. Hope made a late run, taking four of five points to cut their deficit to 23-20, but the Gorloks prevailed, 25-20.
The Gorloks tied the match at 2-2 and sent it to a tie-breaker with a 25-23
set four win. Webster took a 4-1 lead as newcomer Samantha Kruse (FR, Waterloo, IL/Waterloo) and Torie Grassi (JR, St. Louis, MO/Rosati-Kain) each had two kills. Hope turned a 6-4 Webster lead to a 10-6 deficit with a 6-0 run. Webster answered by taking six of seven points to turn a 11-15 deficit into a 17-16 lead. The Gorloks led 22-21 when kills by Grassi and Kruse gave them a 24-21 lead. Hope called a timeout and with a kill and service ace, climbed to within one at 24-23 before a Webster timeout. Another Kruse kill sealed the set win at 25-23.
Hope took a 2-0 lead in the
tie-breaker but Webster stormed back with four straight points including two kills by Grassi and two service aces by another newcomer, Kristen Farrah (FR, St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell). The Gorloks saw a 7-3 lead evaporate into a 7-7 tie, prompting a Webster timeout. A kill by Samantha Budrovich (JR, St. Louis, MO/Lutheran South) and a Hope error gave Webster a 13-10 lead, but the Flying Dutch tied it at 13-13 with three straight points. Webster had match point after a Grassi kill made it 14-13, but Hope took three more points to seal the match with a 16-14 tie-breaker win.
Grassi wound up with 14 kills in the match and Kruse had eight. Kelsey Hamann (JR, Waterloo, IL/Waterloo) led Webster with 18 assists and Soffner led with 19 digs. Farrah finished with 15 digs and Ashley Robinson (SR, Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) had 13 assists and 10 digs.
Against Cornell, Webster lost the first set, 25-20, and battled in a second set loss as well, 25-22, before succumbing to the Rams, 25-14. Grassi had a team high in kills again, with seven for the match. Hamann had a team-high 13 assists and Soffner led in digs again with 10.
Hope, 25-6 in 2016, were the national champions in 2014, having advanced to the NCAA III National Championships the last nine seasons. Cornell finished 22-7 in 2016.
Webster, who was 19-13 in 2016, opens the year at 0-2. .
The Gorloks complete play in the Washington U. Invitational on September 2 with a match vs. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (IN). Webster's home opener is on September 6 vs. Iowa Wesleyan University at Grant Gymnasium. It is their SLIAC opener as well.
