WEBSTER GROVES – Webster University begins its quest for its league best 13th all-time St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament championship on Saturday, Nov. 9 as the No. 3 seeded Gorloks face No. 2 seeded Westminster (Mo.) College (17-8 overall, 15-3 SLIAC) in the second of two semifinal matches at H.J. Long Gymnasium on the Greenville University in Greenville, Ill.
 
The Gorloks, who are making its 16th consecutive and 25th all-time appearance in the SLIAC Tournament this season, earned the No. 3 seed in this year's tournament after posting a 14-4 record in league play and ending league play its last five league matches, including winning four of those five matches in straight sets.
 
This year's SLIAC Tournament will feature three of the same four teams for the 10th consecutive season as Greenville, Westminster and Webster are playing in the league tournament for the 10th straight season, while the fourth team, MacMurray, is making its first trip to the SLIAC Tournament since 2005 and its 11th all-time overall tournament appearance. Greenville, Webster and Westminster have played in the past 10 SLIAC Tournaments since 2010.
 
At last year's SLIAC Tournament, which was hosted by Webster at Grant Gymnasium, Greenville captured its fourth consecutive tournament title with a four set win over Webster to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament. Webster, who shared the regular season title last season with Greenville, opened the 2018 tournament with a five-set thriller against No. 4 seeded Westminster and No. 2 seeded Greenville won in three sets to No. 3 seeded Principia College.
 
Along with Webster's second semifinal match against Westminster, the other semifinal match on Saturday will feature regular season champion Greenville (22-8 overall, 17-1 SLIAC) facing No. 4 seeded MacMurray (17-15 overall, 12-6 SLIAC) at 2 p.m. The championship match is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday and will feature the two semifinal winners.
 
Webster, who ended SLIAC play with 14 wins and won 10 of those 14 matches in straight sets, comes into tournament sporting a 17-11 overall record and they have won five of its last six matches heading into Saturday's match with Westminster with the only loss being a setback on Tuesday at home in three sets to Illinois College to conclude the regular season. In fact, since a three set loss at Westminster on Oct. 3, the Gorloks have won 10 of its last 12 matches with the losses coming at the hands of both Greenville (3-1) and Illinois College (3-0).
 
Entering the postseason, Webster is one of the top defensive teams in the league as they lead Division III in digs per set as they are averaging 21.32 digs per set, while on offense the Gorloks are third in the league in hitting percentage (.177) and is also third in the league in kills per set (12.19) and fourth in assists per set (10.63). Additionally, the Gorloks lead the SLIAC and are second nationally in team attacks per set as they are averaging 41.21 per set.
 
Leading the way for the Gorloks defense is junior libero Kristen Farrah (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell). Farrah, who was named both the SLIAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year last season and has also earned four SLIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, is second in Division III in digs per set (6.71) and is 10th nationally in total digs with 671. She has recorded double-digit digs in all 28 matches this season and has recorded double-digit digs in 63 consecutive matches and she is also the school's career record holder for digs with 1,952 digs. She is one of just two players in school history to record 1,900 career digs.
 
In addition to Farrah, two other Gorloks have recorded 290 or more digs as senior setter Jenna Rodriguez (Smithton, Ill./Freeburg) has recorded 320 digs, which is 14th in the SLIAC and has recorded a team-best 15 double-doubles and a team leading 40 aces, while junior outside hitter Samantha Kruse (Waterloo, Ill.) is third on the team in digs with 290 and is averaging 3.12 digs per set and is 14th in the league in kills per set at 2.40 kills per set and has served 32 aces, which is third on the team.
 
Offensively, the Gorloks have been paced primarily by freshman outside hitter Lauren Borik (Belleville, Ill./Althoff) and junior middle hitter Jordan Price (Fulton, Ill./Carl Sandburg College). Borik leads the team in kills (298), kills per set (3.04) and is second in hitting percentage at .264, while Price is second on the team in kills (248), kills per set (2.46) and aces (35) and leads the team in hitting percentage (.299) and blocks per set (0.92). Price leads the league and is 57th nationally in blocks per set and is third in the league and 110th nationally in attack percentage.
 
Borik has recorded double digit kills in 19 matches, including ending the regular season with double digit kills in 16 of her last 18 matches, while Price has had 11 double-digit kill matches.

Along with Borik, Price and Kruse, senior right side hitter Sarah Jacobs (Carbondale, Ill./Murphysboro) is fourth on the team in kills with 162 and is averaging 1.78 kills per set and is hitting .154 and has also had 44 blocks
 
Setting the table for Webster's offense is the two-header setting tandem of Rodriguez and junior Emma Larson (Bellevue, Neb./Bellevue West). Rodriguez is ninth in the league in assists with 458 and averages 4.87 assists per set and recently became the 10th Gorlok setter in school history to record 1,000 career assists, while Larson has had 353 assists and is averaging 4.01 assists per game and is fourth in aces with 31. Combined, Rodriguez and Larson have recorded 21 double-doubles as Rodriguez has had 15 and Larson has had six.
    
Webster, who is coached by Merry Graf, has posted a 33-13 all-time record in the SLIAC Tournament, including winning a league-best 12 titles (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014). In addition, Webster has been tournament runners-up four times (2004, 2005 and 2010, 2018).

Graf is in her 19th season at the helm of the Gorloks women's volleyball program and has posted a 375-218 record at Webster and has gone 255-46 in SLIAC matches, including a 14-4 mark this season in league play. Graf, who recorded her 400th career collegiate coaching victory last season at Westminster (Mo.) College, has compiled a 429-306 record in 24 years as a collegiate coach.
 
During the regular season, Webster went a combined 2-4 against the other three teams have qualified for this year's SLIAC Tournament as Webster split matches with both Westminster and MacMurray, while losing both of its matches to Greenville. Four of those six matches were played away from Webster as the Gorloks played home and away matches with both Greenville and MacMurray, while facing Westminster in Fulton on Oct. 3 and playing a neutral site match with the Blue Jays at MacMurray on Jan. 28.
 
In those six matches against this year's SLIAC Tournament field, Webster averaged 13.17 kills, 20.96 digs, 1.67 blocks and hit .204, while holding their opponents to a .183 hitting percentage. The Gorloks went 1-1 against Westminster as they picked up a four set win (14-25, 25-19, 25-23, 28-26) at the MacMurray Quadrangle on Sep. 28 and then fell in three sets at Westminster (23-25, 16-25, 20-25) on Oct. 3.
 
Saturday's semifinal winners will meet for the championship of the SLIAC Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. There will be admission charged for the SLIAC Tournament matches as the ticket prices are $5 for adults and $2 for students from conference schools with an ID and children under 16, while children under 5 will be admitted for free.
 
Along with Webster's league record 12 tournament titles, Westminster has won two titles with the most recent coming in 1998 as the Blue Jays are making their 18th all-time tournament appearance and have posted a 16-15 record in the event. Greenville has won five titles, including the last four titles and is 14-12 all-time in the tournament as they are making its 17th appearance this season and MacMurray is making its 11th all-time appearance in the tournament as the Highlanders have gone 4-10 overall and have yet to win a tournament title. 

Here is a look at the 2019 SLIAC Volleyball Tournament schedule:

Saturday, Nov, 9 @Greenville, Ill. / H.J. Long Gymnasium
Semifinal 1 – No.1 seed Greenville (22-8, 17-1) vs. #4 seed MacMurray (17-15, 12-6), 2 p.m.
Semifinal 2 – No. 2 Westminster (17-8, 15-3) vs. #3 Webster (17-11, 14-4), 4 p.m.
Championship – Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.