WEBSTER GROVES – Webster University Volleyball opened its 2018 season here Friday evening by posting back-to-back wins over both Lincoln (Ill.) College and Benedictine (Ill.) University at the Webster Quadrangle at Grant Gymnasium to open the season 2-0 for the first time since 2014.
 
The Gorloks, who opened its 35th season of competition on Friday, began its 2018 campaign with a four-set win over Lincoln College (19-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-22) and then won a five-set thriller in Friday's second match over Benedictine (19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23, 17-15). 
 
In Friday's two wins, the Gorloks offense recorded 116 kills and hit .213, including hitting .239 as a team against Lincoln. Sophomore outside hitter Samantha Kruse (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) and senior outside hitter Samantha Budrovich (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran South) combined for 56 kills and hit a combined .262. Kruse had 31 kills, including a career-high 16 kills in the win over Benedictine, while Budrovich had 25, including 13 against Lincoln.
 
While is offense was strong, the Gorloks defense also played well on Friday as they held its two opponents to a combined .161 hitting percentage and recorded 200 digs and had 15 total blocks, including seven blocks against Benedictine. Sophomore libero Kristen Farrah (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell) had 69 of those digs, including a career-high 45 digs in the win over Benedictine. The 45 digs were tied for the second-most in a match by a Gorlok in school history.
 
For the match, the two teams combined for a total of 229 digs as Webster had 117 and Benedictine tallied 112. In addition, they also combined for 13 aces as Webster had seven and Benedictine had six. 
 
Against Benedictine, the Eagles outhit the Gorloks, .178 to .000 en route to earning a 25-19 win in the first set. The first set featured two ties and two lead changes. Kruse had three kills added four digs in the set, while Farrah had nine digs and senior setter Kelsey Hamman (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) had five digs. 
 
After being held to an .000 hitting percentage in the first set, Webster rebounded to hit .278 in the second set and held the Eagles to a .167 attack percentage as they earned a 25-19 win to tie the match at a set apiece.
 
The third set was a back-and-forth affair as the two teams combined for seven ties and five lead changes. Benedictine jumped out to a 12-8 lead, before Webster used a 9-0 run to take a 17-12 lead. The run was keyed by four kills from Kruse. The Eagles would rally as they scored five straight points to take an 18-17 lead. WU, though, would answer by scoring three straight points, including capping the run on a Budrovich kill. Benedictine (1-1) would close the set by scoring seven of the final 11 points to pull out a 25-22 win and take a 2-1 lead in the match. 
 
Trailing 2-1 in the match, the Gorloks would respond by posting a 25-23 win in the fourth set to force a fifth and deciding set. In the fourth set, the Gorloks trailed for most of the set, until using an 11-3 run capped by a Budrovich kill to take a 24-21 lead. After a kill by Taylor Dunwell and an attack error by Budrovich brought the Eagles within a point at 24-23, Dunwell's attack error gave the Gorloks its 25-23 win.
 
Perhaps the best set of the match was the fifth as the team combined nine ties and seven lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points in the entire set. The Eagles would score four of the first five points in the set, before the Gorloks scored six of the next eight points to take a 7-6 lead. Following WU's 7-6 lead, BU would go on a 3-0 run to take a 9-7 lead. An error by Dunwell and two kills from Kruse and junior outside hitter Sarah Jacobs (Carbondale, Ill./Murphysboro) to take a 10-9 lead. From that point, the teams would trade points and take turns holding the lead until a Budrovich kill on match point for the Eagles tied the match at 15. Benedictine, though, would commit back-to-back ball handling errors to seal Webster's 17-15 win to seal the match win.
 
Along with her 16 kills, Kruse also added 22 digs for her second- straight double-double. In addition to Kruse, Hamann added 19 assists and 23 digs for her 36th career double-double. Budrovich had eight digs to go with her 12 kills. 
 
Dunwell paced Benedictine with 27 kills and 17 digs for a doiuble-double, while Molly Stock and Claudia Schmidt had 11 and 10 kills respectively in the setback. Kristina Billie had 33 digs and Chelsi Blair had 24 digs for the Eagles. 
 
Meanwhile, in the season opener against Lincoln, Webster hit .239 and had 57 kills and 83 digs, while they held the Lynx to a .153 attack percentage, 48 kills and 74 digs. 
 
Against the Lynx, Kruse and Budrovich combined for 28 kills, while sophomore middle hitter Hayley Taylor (Highland, Ill./Highland) added eight kills and six blocks in her first collegiate volleyball match. Taylor, who is a member of the Gorloks women's basketball program, played volleyball in high school and joined the team last spring.
 
In the first set, Webster jumped in front 3-0 and led 10-9 when Lincoln (0-2), who is playing its first year as a four-year school, used a 10-5 run to take a 19-15 lead. WU, though, would score four of the next five points to pull within a point at 20-19. The Lynx would then close out the set by scoring the final five points to earn a 25-19 win.
 
The second set belonged to the Gorloks as they hit .552 and held Lincoln to a .152 attack percentage. Kruse and Budrovich combined for 12 kills to help WU to a 25-16 win.
 
In the third set, Webster jumped out to a 7-2 lead and led 11-3 when the Lynx used a 6-3 run to pull within 14-9. WU would answer by pushing its lead to 22-14 and capping the run with an ace by freshman setter Ali Spohr (Quincy, Ill./Quincy). Three straight points by the Lynx dropped Webster's lead to 22-17, before the Gorloks closed the set by scoring two of the final four points to post a 25-19 win. 
 
Farrah had 24 digs and added seven assists, while Hamann had 23 assists and 23 digs for a double-double. Kruse also had her first career double-double as she added 10 digs. 
 
Much like the first and third sets, the fourth set was another back-and-forth affair as WU trailed 12-6 before using a 14-8 run to tie the set at 20 following a kill by Kruse. After Emma Derry delivered a kill to give LC a 21-20 lead, the Gorloks would close the set by scoring five of the final six points to seal the 25-22 set win and also the match.
 
Mikayla Siebert led the Lynx with 13 kills, while Megan Gilliam had 21 digs and Derry added 16 kills. 
 
Westminster was the fourth team that competed in the Webster Quad and they split their matches against the same two teams as Benedictine defeated Westminster, 3-2 and Westminster won in three sets over Lincoln.
 
The Gorloks will return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 5 as they travel to Terre Haute, Ind., for a 6 p.m. ET match at Rose-Hulman.