ELSAH, Ill. – The Webster University volleyball team was back in action this afternoon when they traveled to Elsah, Illinois, to take on the Spalding (Ky.) University Griffins and the Principia (Ill.) College Panthers for a SLIAC tri-match. The Gorloks won both matches as they defeated the Golden Eagles in four sets (25-21, 14-25, 25-17, 25-16) and the Panthers in three sets (25-15, 25-23, 25-11) to improve to 9-9 on the season and 7-1 in conference play.

In their first match of the day, Webster recorded 40 kills on 175 attacks for a .114 attacking percentage. They added three service aces, five blocks, 34 assists, and 87 digs. Spalding finished with 38 kills on 197 attacks for a .076 attacking percentage.

Webster came out in the first set and jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Spalding would tie the score at seven, and the game would remain close for most of the set. With the score tied at 19, Webster went on a 6-2 run to end the set and take a 1-0 lead in the match.

After dropping the second set, Webster came out in the third and matched the Golden Eagles point-for-point. With the Gorloks trailing 16-14 midway through the game, they were able to end the set on a 11-1 run to take a 2-1 match advantage.

The Gorloks carried their momentum over into the final set and were able to jump out to an 11-7 lead. They would push their lead to as many as 11 and cruised to their sixth conference win of the year.

Delaney Demman led the way for the Gorloks as she recorded a team high 19 assists to go along with 10 digs. Ellie Biedenstein also played well as she recorded 13 assists to go along with 12 digs. In addition, Lauren Borik recorded a match high 29 digs, Madison Katz recorded a team high eight kills, and Olivia Powell finished with four blocks to lead Webster.

In their second match of the day, Webster recorded 30 kills on 91 attacks for a .176 attacking percentage. They added eight service aces, one block, 24 assists, and 46 digs. The Panthers finished with 24 kills on 104 attacks for a .029 attacking percentage.

Webster came out in the first set and held a 13-7 lead early. The Panthers would cut the lead to six, but the Gorloks would push their lead back out to 11 before cruising to a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Gorloks carried over their momentum into the second set and held a 15-10 lead midway through the game. The Panthers would battle back and cut the lead to two, but a 5-1 run from Webster pushed their lead back out to five late in the set. Principia would once again claw their way back and tie the score at 20, but the Gorloks would outscore the Panther 5-3 down the stretch to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

In the third set, Webster quickly jumped out to a 13-5 advantage. They continued to play well as the set progressed and never let the Panthers back in the game as they closed out Principia down the stretch to solidify their sixth straight match.

Tyler Ramstack and Megan Zablonski led the attack for Webster as they each receded seven kills in the match. Emma Matteson and Lexi Laney led the team defensively as Matteson finished with a team high 11 digs while Laney added 10. In addition, Delaney Demman recorded a team high eight assists.

Webster returns to the court on Thursday, October 12^th when they host Eureka (Ill.) College for their annual Dig Pink Match. The match is set to start at 7 p.m. in Grant Gymnasium.