BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Wednesday's volleyball showdown in Greenville, Ill., between Webster University and Greenville University has been tabbed as this week's St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Game of the Week. Wednesday's match will be begin at 7 p.m. at H.J. Long Gymnasium on the campus of Greenville University.
Wednesday's match features the top two teams in the league standings as Greenville comes into the match sitting atop the SLIAC standings with a 10-1 mark, while Webster is 9-2 in the league and has won nine straight matches in SLIAC play since opening its league slate with back-to-back losses on Sept. 8 to Greenville and Westminster at a quadrangle hosted by Greenville.
Overall, Webster enters Wednesday's match having won seven straight matches, all of which have come in straight sets and is sporting an 11-7 overall record, while Greenville has won three straight and six of its last seven matches overall and is sporting a 14-8 overall record and a 10-1 mark in SLIAC. Greenville's only loss in league play came against Principia, a team that Webster swept this season.
At a Glance
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This week's SLIAC Game of the Week features two of the winningest programs in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference volleyball when Webster University visits Greenville University. The two teams have combined to win 16 SLIAC Tournament Championships. Greenville and Webster will meet in Greenville, Illinois on Wednesday, October 10 at 7 p.m. in H.J. Long Gymnasium.
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Greenville University 'PANTHERS'
Greenville comes into the week in first place in the SLIAC standings with a 10-1 record and are 14-8 overall. The Panthers have won three straight and six of their last seven matches. The Panthers are hitting .187 as a team, tops in the SLIAC, and also lead all teams in aces (167) and blocks per set (1.67).
Abby Freeman powers the Panthers offense, with a conference-high 355 kills. Her power is just as evident at the serving line where she has recorded 58 aces. Anna Finch roams the middle and has recorded 186 digs and 61 blocks. Emily Stahl and Brooklyn Pace have both topped 100 kills this season. The offense is run by Abby Quirin (9.25 a/s) while Allyson Grabowski leads the team with 4.97 digs per set.
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Webster University 'GORLOKS'
Webster is 11-7 overall and 9-2 in conference play, good for 2nd place in the standings. The Gorloks have won a conference-best seven straight matches as they come into this week. The Gorloks rank 2nd in the conference with a .169 hitting percentage and lead the league with 23.79 digs per set.
Sophomore libero Kristen Farrah (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell) has had a stellar season, averaging 8.59 digs per set including three matches with over 40 digs. The balanced Webster attack includes the trio of sophomore outside hitter Samantha Kruse (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo), senior outside hitter Samantha Budrovich (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran Southern), and senior right side hitter Torie Grassi (St. Louis, Mo./Rosati-Kain). Kruse leads the team with 183 kills, hitting .251 this season. Budrovich (132 kills) and Grassi (119 kills) are additional options in the attack. Senior setter Kelsey Hamann (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) averages 4.96 assists per set and junior Jenna Rodriguez (Smithton, Ill./Freeburg) averages 4.39 assists per set have combined together to run the Webster offense.
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Last Meeting
Greenville took the last meeting over Webster 3-0, winning 25-15, 25-5, and 25-23. The Panthers hit .301 as a team with 43 kills and just 12 errors while Webster hit just .011 as a team with 21 kills and 20 errors. Abby Freeman led the way for Greenville with 18 kills while Samantha Kruse and Samantha Budrovich paced the Gorloks with five kills each.
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Game Notes
- Webster leads the all-time series against Greenville 37-18, although Greenville has won three straight in the series.
- Greenville (4) and Webster (8) have combined to win the last 12 SLIAC Tournaments.
- Farrah leads NCAA Division III in digs with 541 and also digs per set (8.59)
- Greenville's Abby Freeman ranks 2nd in Division III in points per set.
- During their seven-match winning streak, the Gorloks have not dropped a set.
- Greenville begins a three-match homestand on Wednesday which continues on Saturday with matches against Westminster and St. Mary of the Woods.
