JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - Webster University Volleyball continued St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play here Saturday as the Gorloks suffered a hard-fought five set loss to MacMurray College (25-19, 22-25, 27-29, 25-22, 12-15) in a quadrangle at Bill Wall Gymnasium.

With the setback, Webster falls to 6-7 overall and 3-2 in the league, while MacMurray improves to 8-8 overall and 3-1 in the league. 

Against the Highlanders, the Gorloks recorded 60 kills and hit .178 as a team, while MacMurray had 61 kills an hit .203 for the match. The match featured 19 ties and nine lead changes, including four ties and three lead changes in the fifth and deciding set. 

Freshman outside hitter Lauren Borik (Belleville, Ill./Althoff) led the way offensively for the Gorloks with 15 kills and a season best .433 attack percentage. In addition to Borik, junior middle hitter Jordan Price (Fulton, Ill./Carl Sandburg College) added 13 kills, two aces and five block assists and junior outside hitter Samantha Kruse (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) had 12 kills and added 12 digs for her second consecutive double-double and fifth double-double of the season.

On defense, Webster recorded a match high 86 digs and both teams each had a total of eight blocks. Webster's defensive effort was paced by a match high 21 digs from junior libero Kristen Farrah (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell), while senior setter Jenna Rodriguez (Smithton, Ill./Freeburg) had 18 digs and recorded 21 assists for her team leading seventh double-double. Junior setter Emma Larson (Bellevue, Neb./Bellevue West) had 18 assists and seven digs. 

WU also held an edge in service aces with 7-5 for the match.

In the opening set, Webster jumped out to a 12-9 lead and led 19-14 when the Highlanders scored four straight points to pull within 19-18. The Gorloks, though, would answer by scoring six of the sets final seven points, including concluding the set by scoring four straight points to post a 25-19 win. In the set, WU hit .353 with 16 kills, while MacMurray hit .194 with 11 kills.

The Gorloks jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the second set and led 13-8 when the Highlanders scored seven of the next nine points to tie the set at 15 following an ace by Kamryn Flesner. WU, though, would score four straight points, including capping the run by back-to-back kills from Borik to take 19-15 lead. MacMurray would respond with a 5-2 run to pull within 21-19. After an attack error by Flesner gave WU a 22-19 lead, the Highlanders would close the set by scoring six straight points to post a 25-22 win. The teams combined for 22 kills and 13 attack errors in the set.

Webster jumped out to a 7-2 lead and led 8-3 in the third set when MacMurray used a 4-1 run to pull within 9-7. Three straight kills by the Gorloks gave them a 12-7 lead, before Mac would score four straight points to pull within a point at 12-11. WU would eventually push out to a 19-14 lead, before the Highlanders used a 9-4 run to tie the set at 23. The teams would then trade points until Mac scored four of the final five points to earn a 29-27 lead. In the set, WU had 16 kills, including four kills each from Borik and sophomore outside hitter Peyton Eikel (Dardenne Prairie, Mo./Liberty) and hit .180, while Mac hit .271 with 18 kills.

The fourth set belonged to the Gorloks as they hit .270 and recorded 13 kills, including four kills each by Price and Kruse, to give WU a 25-22 win and force a fifth set. Mac Mac hit .200 with 14 kills, including six kills each by Flesner and Hannah Harbaugh in the set.

Webster jumped out to a 4-0 lead and led 7-4 in the fifth set when MacMurray used a 5-2 run to tie the set at 9. The Gorloks, though, would respond by scoring three of the next four points to take a 12-10 lead. The run was capped by back-to-back aces from sophomore Kyra Gensel (Clarkton, N.C./Harrells Christian). Following a timeout by MacMurray, the Highlanders would score the final five points of the set to close out the match win.

MacMurray's offense was paced by 19 kills and 18 digs from Flesner, while Harbaugh added 14 kills, six block assists and hit .414 and Caitlyn Hoene had 10 kills in the win. Janelle Benson had a double-double f 25 assists and 10 digs.

The Gorloks, who played Westminster later in the day on Saturday at the MacMurray Quadrangle, will return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 1 as they host Washington University in St. Louis for a 7 p.m. non-conference match at Grant Gymnasium.