WAVERLY, Iowa - Webster University will return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years here Friday evening as the Gorloks will meet No. 2 ranked Wartburg College in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Division III Tournament. Tip-off for Friday's game is set for 8 p.m. at Levick Arena on the campus of Wartburg College.

The Gorloks, who are sporting a 20-6 overall record and took home the championship trophy at last weekend's St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament with a thrilling 63-61 win in the championship game over Westminster, will be making its fourth all-time NCAA appearance when it steps on the floor Friday evening and its first tournament appearance since 2011. Overall, Webster is 2-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with both of those wins coming in 2002 when the Gorloks advanced to the third round of the tournament. In its most recent NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011, Webster fell in the first round at Illinois Wesleyan, 82-70. 

"For us to advance to the NCAA Tournament this year is great for this team, this group of seniors and for our basketball program," Webster University head coach Jordan Olufson said prior to his team's practice Thursday afternoon at Levick Arena. "This team set out on a journey to accomplish small and big goals and this was one of the big goals was to get to the NCAA Tournament and then make a run in the tournament."

Webster comes into the NCAA Tournament having won nine of its last 10 games and 13 of its last 15 games overall with the only two losses coming at the hands of Greenville, who won the regular season SLIAC title with a 15-1 league mark. In fact, the Gorloks have lost two games since the beginning of the 2018 calendar year. 

Meanwhile, Webster's opponent on Friday, Wartburg, comes into the NCAA Tournament as one of five remaining undefeated teams in all of NCAA women's basketball and one of two remaining undefeated teams at the Division III level. The Knights are sporting a 27-0 overall record and are one of the top seeds in this year's NCAA Tournament field. Along with Wartburg, the other remaining NCAA women's basketball programs that are undefeated this season are Division I Connecticut (28-0), Division I Mississippi State (30-0), Division II Ashland (28-0) and Division III Amherst (27-0). 

Along with winning all 27 of its games this season, the Knights, who earned the automatic bid from the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after posting an 86-74 win over Luther in the IIAC Tournament Championship game, have also won 22 straight games on its homecourt since suffering an 87-84 setback to Washington University in St. Louis on Dec. 30, 2016. This season, Wartburg is 13-0 at home. 

Webster comes into the NCAA Tournament as one of the top defensive teams in Division III as the Gorloks are allowing 60.5 points per game and holding opponents to 30 percent from the 3-point line and are forcing nearly 28 turnovers per game, which is fifth among all Division III schools. In addition, the Gorloks are fourth in Division III in both steals (16.4 per game) and turnover margin (11.4). This season, Webster has six players that have picked up 45 or more steals and as a team, they have picked 15 or more steals in a game 17 times, including a season high 26 steals against both Iowa Wesleyan (Jan. 3) and Blackburn (Feb. 14). 

"We have very tenacious players that want to defend and to have the ability to pressure the way we want, it really helps when you have players that buy into our system," said Olufson, who is 150-111 in his 10th season at the helm of the Gorloks. "For us to be able to create as much havoc as we do, we want to create instant offense with our pressure defense."

On offense, the Gorloks average 75.7 points per game and shoot 41 percent from the field and 34 percent from the 3-point line but are one of the top free throw shooting teams in Division III as they are shooting 75.4 percent from the line, which is 13th best in Division III. Webster has scored 75 or more points in a game 15 times but has been held under its average in its last two games as they scored 56 in its SLIAC Tournament semifinal win over Eureka and 63 points in the championship game against Westminster.

Leading the way for the Gorloks coming into the NCAA Tournament are senior forwards Aley Lucas (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan) and Taylor Lucas (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan). The twin sisters are averaging a combined 23.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Aley, who was a First-Team All-SLIAC selection, is averaging 12.4 points and 5.4 boards per game, while Taylor, who was named the MVP of the SLIAC Tournament after averaging 19.0 points per game, is averaging 11.0 points and 5.4 boards per game. The two sisters have also each had two double-doubles on the season.

Along with the Lucas sisters, senior guard Kelsey Miller (Elizabeth, Ind./Maryville University) is the third leading scorer as she averages 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and leads the Gorloks in both steals with 59 and made 3-pointers with 36.  

Other key performers for the Gorloks are sophomore guard Jaysea Morgan (Fisk, Mo./Twin Rivers), senior forward Megan Brandt (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan) and sophomore guard Jade Sawyer (Republic, Mo./Republic). Morgan is averaging 8.4 points per game and has picked up 51 steals, dished out 55 assists and is shooting 47 percent from the field and 86 percent at the line, while Brandt, who was named to the SLIAC All-Defensive Team for the second straight season, is averaging 7.6 points and 3.9 board per game and is shooting 48 percent from the field, 47 percent from the 3-point line and has picked up 48 steals and Sawyer is averaging 7.6 points and 2.2 assists per game and is shooting 35 percent from downtown and is second on the squad with 30 made treys. 

Much like Webster, Wartburg also likes to score points as the Knights are 16th nationally in Division III as they average 77.3 points per game and are also one fo the top shooting teams in the country as they are shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from the 3-point line. They are averaging 8.6 made 3-pointers per game, which is 11th nationally and they are allowing their opponents to score 56.9 points per game and have held seven of their last 11 foes under 60 points.

"Wartburg is a very well-coached team that has great ball movement, they don't make a lot of mistakes, are very physical and can score at every position," Olufson said. "We have to be able to defend at all five spots on the floor and try to get them out of their comfort level. From watching film, teams have pressured them, so pressure is not new to them, but hopefully our style will be different than what they've seen."

The Knights, who are making their third consecutive and 12th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, are paced by the play of senior guard Katie Sommer. Sommer is averaging 15.6 points per game and is fifth in Division III in assists with 163 and has also collected 62 steals on the year. Sommer is shooting 43 percent from the field, 41 percent from the 3-point line and 78 percent at the free throw line and leads the team with 58 made treys and is Wartburg's career leader in assists with 513 and is third in career made free throws (437) and sixth in career scoring (1,389 points). 

Along with Sommer, two other Knights are averaging in double figures as senior forward Miranda Murphy is averaging 11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 48 percent from the field and 39 percent from the 3-point line and the third double-digit scorer is senior forward Morgan Neuendorf, who is averaging 10.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field, 38 percent from long distance and 86 percent at the free throw line. 

Wartburg is coached by Bob Amsberry and he is in his 12th season the Knights and has compiled a 219-104 record and is 350-211 in his 21st season as a collegiate coach.

The Knights are 13-11 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including advancing to the Division III National Semifinals in 2016 where they fell 63-50 to Tufts. Last season, Wartburg fell in the first round, 67-63, to the University of Chicago. 

"It has been a great season for our team and we're not looking at this as being a one-and-done. Our players are ready to get out and compete tomorrow night," added Olufson. "We come into the game with a lot of confidence with the way we play and we have a lot of respect for Wartburg and their coaching staff."

Friday's game will be the second all-time meeting between Wartburg and Webster in women's basketball and the first since the 2005 when the Gorloks earned a 76-71 win in Webster Groves. In addition, Webster is also 6-4 all-time current members of the IIAC and last faced an IIAC team last season as the Gorloks earned a 71-60 win at home over Central (Iowa) College. 

Prior to the Webster-Wartburg game on Friday, the first game of the Wartburg pod of the NCAA Tournament will feature 15th-ranked George Fox (24-3) meeting Saint Benedict (22-4) at 5:30 p.m. George Fox, who earned the automatic bid from the Northwest Conference, is making its 14th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and is 30-13 all time in the tournament, including winning the national championship in 2009, while Saint Benedict earned an at-large selection to this year's NCAA Tournament after falling in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament to Gustavus Adolphus and is making its 17th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2009. St. Benedict was the national runner-up in 1999 and is 19-19 all-time in the tournament. 

The winners of Friday's first round games at Levick Arena will advance to a second round game at 7 p.m. The winner of that game will advance to the sectional round next weekend.