ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Webster University volleyball team was back in action this afternoon when they played host to the Fontbonne (Mo.) University Griffins and the Blackburn (Ill.) College Beavers for their annual Dig Pink Tri-Match. The Gorloks were swept by the Griffins (21-25, 18-25, 22-25) in their first match, and then bounced back to defeat the Beavers in five sets (25-14, 21-15, 21-25, 25-15, 15-8) in their second match to improve to 13-10 on the season and 8-4 in conference play.

In their first match of the day, the Gorloks finished with 40 kills on 129 attacks for a .189 attacking percentage. They added one service ace, three blocks, 38 assists, and 58 digs. The Griffins finished with 50 kills on 128 attacks for a .289 attacking percentage.

Webster came out in the first game and had a tough time getting anything going as they found themselves trailing 13-6 early. They battled back and were able to cut the Griffins lead to 18-17 late in the set, but a 7-4 run from Fontbonne to end the set gave them a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Gorloks picked it up to start the second set as they held a 11-6 lead early in the game. The Griffins answered back and tied the score at 14, and then ended the set on an 11-4 run to take a 2-0 match advantage.

Webster once again got off to a quick start in the third game as they held a 4-1 advantage early in the set. The Griffins tied the score at four, and then went on a 7-4 run to take an 11-8 lead in the game. Webster tied the score back up at 13, but a 7-1 run from the Griffins put them up 20-14 late. Fontbonne picked up the final points of the set and solidified the sweep.

Tyler Ramstack led the way for the Gorloks as she finished with nine kills and a team high 12 digs. Kaylee Portell led the attack as she recorded a team high 10 kills. In addition, Delaney Demman and Emma Leppien both finished with a team high 17 assists while Taylor Thompson added 10 digs.

In their second match of the day, the Gorloks finished with 59 kills on 180 attacks for a .161 attacking percentage. They added eight service aces, nine blocks, 53 assists, and 95 digs. The Griffins finished with 48 kills on 189 attacks for a .074 attacking percentage.

Webster came out in the first set and jumped out to a quick 10-3 lead. The Beavers cut the lead down to five, but another run from the Gorloks put them up 23-9 late in the set. Webster picked up the final two points of the set and took a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Gorloks dropped the next two sets by final scores of 25-21 but were able to bounce back in the fourth. With the score tied at 11, Webster went on a 5-0 run and took a 16-11 lead in the game. The Beavers cut the lead down to three, but the Gorloks were able to close them out down the stretch to tie the match at two.

Webster carried over their momentum into fifth set and held a 9-5 advantage early. Blackburn cut the lead to two, but Webster closed out the game on a 6-2 run to solidify the match.

Kaylee Portell led the attack for the Gorloks as she finished with a team high 13 kills. Abby Jacobs also played well as she finished with 10 kills. Emma Leppien and Delaney Demman ran the offense as Leppien finished with a match high 29 assists to go along with 14 digs while Demman finished with 17 assists and 11 digs. Cassie Gray led the team defensively as she finished with a team high 22 digs while Tyler Ramstack added 12 and Taylor Thompson finished with 11.

The Gorloks will return to the court on Tuesday, October 25^th when they play host to the Principia (Ill.) College Panthers for their final home game of the regular season. This game will serve as Senior Night for the team and prior to first serve we will honor the seniors for their hard work and dedication to the program. The game will start at 7 p.m. in Grant Gymnasium.