ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Webster University volleyball team was back in action Thursday night when they traveled down Big Bend to take on the No. 10-ranked Washington University (Mo.) Bears for a nonconference matchup. The Gorloks battled back to win the third set but ultimately fell to the Bears in four sets (9-25, 13-25, 26-24, 18-25) to fall to 8-10 on the season. With the win, the Bears improve to 15-3 overall.
Webster finished the match with 32 kills on 120 attacks for a .033 attacking percentage. The Gorloks added 31 assists, three service aces, five total blocks, and 50 digs. The Bears finished with 51 kills on 125 attacks for a .280 attacking percentage.
The Gorloks struggled to find their rhythm in the opening set as the Bears took the first game 25-9. WashU continued its momentum in the second set, winning 25-13 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
After dropping the first two sets, Webster responded with its strongest performance of the night in the third. The Gorloks battled back and forth with the Bears before tying the score at 24. Lauren Brown delivered a service ace to even the set before Leah McGrath recorded a kill to give Webster a 25-24 advantage. The Gorloks secured the 26-24 win on the following point to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Webster looked to carry that momentum into the fourth set, but the Bears were able to pull away and close out the match with a 25-18 victory.
Leah McGrath led the way for Webster with a team-high eight kills and added six digs. Mea Bystrom finished with seven kills, while Emma Price recorded 17 assists. Lexi Filkins paced the defensive effort with 12 digs, and Lilly Bott added eight digs.
The Gorloks will return home on Saturday, October 17, when they host a tri-match featuring Lyon College and Spalding University. Webster will take on Lyon at 10 a.m. before facing Spalding at 2 p.m. The tri-match will feature the program's Dig Pink initiative in support of breast cancer awareness, along with Senior Day celebrations honoring Webster's graduating student-athletes.
