WEBSTER GROVES - Webster University closed out the regular season portion of its 2019 volleyball schedule here Tuesday evening by falling in three hard-fought sets to Illinois College (21-25, 21-25, 19-25) in non-conference action at Grant Gymnasium.

With the setback, Webster had its five match win streak snapped as moves its record to 17-11 overall, while Illinois College improves to 21-7 overall. In addition, Webster closed its 2019 home schedule with a 6-4 record, including winning six of its last seven home matches. 

Against the Lady Blues, who finished third in the Midwest Conference standings, Webster had 33 kills, hit .144 and recorded 54 digs, while IC had 50 kills, hit .256 and recorded 71 digs and outblocked the Gorloks, 6-3. 

Freshman Lauren Borik (Belleville, Ill./Althoff) paced Webster's offense with 12 kills and hit .312, while junior middle hitter Jordan Price (Fulton, Mo./Carl Sandburg College) added nine kills in the loss. Borik closed the regular season by recording double digits in kills in 16 of her last 18 matches, including three straight double-digit kill matches. 

Webster's defense was once again paced by junior libero Kristen Farrah (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell) as Farrah had a match-high 20 digs to extend her double-digit dig streak to 63 consecutive matches and is also was her 23 match this season with at least 20 digs. With her 20 digs, she pushed her career total of 1,952 and is now just 48 digs away from 2,000 career digs. In addition to Farrah's 20 digs, senior setter Jenna Rodriguez (Smithton, Ill./Freeburg) had 15 digs and also recorded 15 assists for her team leading 15th double-double this season and 28th double-double of her collegiate career. 

Tuesday's match was a competitive one as the two teams combined for 21 ties and eight lead changes. In the first set, there were nine ties and three lead changes, while the second set featured six ties and three lead changes and the third set had six ties and two lead changes.

In the opening set, Webster scored the first two points and led 7-3 when the Lady Blues used an 8-4 run to tie force the first tie of the set at 11. From that point, the team would take turns holding the lead until IC used a 6-2 run to turn an 18-17 deficit into a 23-20 lead. After a kill by Borik, who had seven of her 12 kills in the set, brought the Gorloks within two at 23-21, the Lady Blues would score the final two points of the set to earn a 25-21 win. In the set, WU hit .243 and had 12 kills, while IC hit .308 with 18 kills. 

The Gorloks jumped out to a 7-5 lead in the second set, before the Lady Blues used a 7-1 run to take a 12-8 lead. After the Gorloks scored two straight points to pull within 12-10, IC responded with a 5-2 run to push out to a 17-12 advantage. Webster, though, would respond with 6-3 run capped by back-to-back kills from Price and sophomore outside hitter Peyton Eikel (Dardenne Prairie, Mo./Liberty) to pull within 20-18. That would be as close as the Gorloks would get as IC scored five of the final six points to seal its 25-21 set win. In the set, WU was held to an .088 hitting percentage with 11 kills, while IC hit .208 with 18 kills.

In the third set, WU jumped out to a 6-2 lead and led 10-5 when the Lady Blues used a 10-3 scoring run capped by a kill from Ali Pankey to take a 15-13 lead. The Gorloks, though, would score three of the next four points to tie the set at 16-all following a kill by Price. After the two teams traded the lead, IC would use a 4-0 run to take a 21-17 lead. After a service error by Pankey stopped IC's run, the Lady Blues would close the set by scoring four of the final five points to seal its 25-19 win. WU hit .132 in the set with 10 kills, while IC hit .270 and had 14 kills. 

The Lady Blues were paced offensively by Pankey, who had 14 kills and 15 digs, while Brenna Dameris and Madison Klanke each had 11 kills, while Elizabeth Ganley added a double-double of 45 assists and 13 digs and Madie Budd had 17 digs in the win. Klanke hit .588 for the Lady Blues. 

Webster will now turn its attention to the postseason as the the third-seeded Gorloks open play in the 2019 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. against No. 2 seeded Westminster (Mo.) College at H.J. Long Gymnasium on the campus of Greenville University in Greenville, Ill.