ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Webster University volleyball team was back in action this morning when they traveled to Greenville, Illinois, to take on the Greenville (Ill.) University Panthers in the semifinals of the SLIAC Volleyball Tournament. The Gorloks, who are the fifth seed in the tournament, were defeated by the top seeded Panthers in four sets (25-21, 15-25, 21-25, 24-16) to end their season with a 13-14 overall record. With the win, the Panthers will advance to the SLIAC Volleyball Tournament Final later tonight.
The Gorloks finished the match with 45 kills on 170 attacks while finishing with a .088 attacking percentage. The Panthers tallied 52 kills in the match and finished with a .140 attacking percentage. Webster also added four service aces, 13 blocks, 39 assists, and 76 digs.
Webster came out firing in the first set of the match as they scored the first seven points of the game. They continued to play well as the game progressed and held an 18-8 lead late in the set. The Panthers battled back and were able to cut the lead to three, but the Gorloks were able to pick up the final points of the set to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
After dropping the second set by a final score of 25-15, Webster came out in the fourth set and matched the Panthers point-for-point. With the score tied at three, Greenville went on a 7-2 run and held a 10-5 lead early. The Gorloks battled back and cut the lead to two late in the game, but the Panthers went on a 4-2 run to end the set to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Webster got off to a good start in the fourth set as they jumped out to a 6-3 lead early. Greenville tied the score at eight, and then both teams exchanged points for most of the game. With the score tied at 24, the Panthers picked up the final two points of the set to solidify the win.
Lauren Borik led the way for the Gorloks as she finished with a match high 19 kills while adding 15 digs.
Mary Nelson also played well as she also finished with 15 digs while adding 11 assists. In addition,
Emma Leppien finished with a team high 19 assists and 15 digs while
Kyra Gensel added 14 digs and
Kaylee Portell added 11 kills.
This marks the end of the 2021 Webster University Volleyball season. The Gorloks finished the year with a 13-14 overall record and a 6-6 mark in conference play. They will return to the court in the fall.
