ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - Webster University showed some moxie here Friday evening as the Gorloks rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth and deciding set against Loras College before falling 15-6 in the fifth set to the Duhawks (22-25, 17-25, 25-20, 27-25, 6-16) in the Augustana College Volleyball Invitational at the Carver Center on the campus of Augustana College. 

With the setback, Webster falls to 3-4 on the season and is now 1-1 on the year in 5-set matches as they earned a win in five sets of Benedictine University on Aug. 30 at the Webster Quadrangle in Grant Gymnasium.

In Friday's match, the Gorloks received double-doubles from senior setter Kelsey Hamann (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) and sophomore outside hitter Samantha Kruse (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) and a career-high 46 dig effort from sophomore libero Kristen Farrah (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell).

The 46 digs was one better than Kruse's previous career high of 45 set in that five-setter earlier this season against Benedictine and is also the second-most digs ever recorded in a match in school history. The school record for digs in a match is 50, which was recorded by Katie O'Toole against Augustana (Ill.) on Oct. 11, 2013.

Webster's offense hit .124 for the match as senior outside hitter Torie Grassi (St. Louis, Mo./Rosati-Kain) led the way with a season high 15 kills and hit .286, while Kruse had 12 kills and 20 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. In addition to Grassi and Kruse, senior right side hitter Samantha Budrovich (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran South) added nine kills and eight digs and junior outside hitter Sarah Jacobs (Carbondale, Ill./Murphysboro) had seven kills and hit .222. 

Hamann tallied 25 assists and added 12 digs for her team-leading fifth double-double of the year. For the match, Webster outdug the Duhawks, 102-99 and outblocked them, 6-5, including freshman outside hitter Kylie Burke (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) picking up three blocks, including WU's lone solo block for the match.

The first set was a back-and-fourth affair that featured 14 ties and six lead changes and neither team led by more than two points until the Duhawks used a 4-0 run with the set tied at 20 to take a 24-20 lead. WU, though, would answer with two straight points on an attack error by Loras' Kayla Kinney and an ace by Burke to pull the Gorloks within a 24-22. Michelle Budden would end the set with a kill to give Loras a 25-22 win. In the set. WU hit .154 and Loras hit .205.

Loras owned the second set as they turned a 6-all tie into an 11-0 run to push out to a 17-6 advantage. The lead would grow to 21-11, before the Gorloks used a 5-2 run capped by a Duhawks attack error to pull within 23-16. Two kills sandwiched around a kill by Kruse sealed Loras' 25-17 set win and gave them a 2-0 lead in the match. In the set, WU hit .000 and Loras hit .146.

Trailing 2-0 in the match, Webster jumped out to a 12-8 lead in the third set and led 14-10 when the Duhawks used a 7-1 run to take a 17-15 lead. The run was capped by back-to-back kills from Budden, who led the Duhawks with 18 for the match. After a kill by Jacobs pushed WU within a point at 17-16, Loras responded with a 2-1 run to take a 19-17 lead. The Gorloks answered by closing the set on an 8-1 run to earn a 25-20 win. In the set, WU outhit Loras, .109 to .098.

The fourth set was probably the best one of the match as it had seven ties and two lead changes. WU jumped in front 5-3 early, before Loras answered with an 8-3 run to push out to an 11-8 advantage. Loras' lead eventually grew to 18-14, before the Gorloks used a 10-5 run capped by a kill from freshman right side hitter Samantha Hoff (Sterling Heights, Mich./Sterling Heights) to take a 24-23. The lead was short lived as Loras scored two of the next three points to tie the set at 25. Webster would seal its 27-25 set win thanks to back-to-back errors by Loras, including an assisted block on the final point of the set from Jacobs and Hoff. Grassi and Kruse each had four kills in the set and the Gorloks outhit the Duhawks, .258 to .170.

In the fifth and deciding set, the Gorloks held leads of 2-1 and 3-2 early in the set until Loras used a 6-1 run to take an 8-4 lead. The Gorloks would score two of the next three points to drop Loras lead to 9-6, before the Duhawks closed out the set and the match on a 6-0 run to seal both its 15-6 set win and its 3-2 match victory. In the final set, Loras hit .471 and held WU to an .095 attack percentage. 

Along with the 18 kills from Budden, Kinney added 16 kills and 16 digs, while Jenna LaCorte had 12 kills and 16 digs in the win. Krystal Tranel added a team-best 26 digs in the victory.

Webster will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 15 as the complete play in the Augustana Invitational with an 11 a.m. match against Alma (Mich.) College and then will face the host team, Augustana College, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15.