FULTON, Mo. – The Webster University women's volleyball team split its two matches at the Westminster Tri-Match on Saturday, falling to host Westminster College in straight sets before bouncing back with a four-set victory over Eureka College. The Gorloks moved to 12-11 overall and 6-4 in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) play.
Webster opened the afternoon with a 3-0 (25-9, 25-16, 25-19) loss to Westminster before responding with a 3-1 (23-25, 25-13, 25-21, 25-20) victory over Eureka.
Match One: Westminster 3, Webster 0
The Gorloks struggled offensively against the Blue Jays, finishing with 28 kills and a .037 hitting percentage. Mea Bystrom led Webster with six kills, while Leah McGrath and Carley Hersberger added five apiece. Lexi Filkins collected a team-high 14 digs, while Addison Urbanski recorded 12 assists and 11 digs.
Westminster controlled the opening set, using several scoring runs to build an early advantage. After Webster fell behind 9-5, the Blue Jays extended their lead to 16-6 before closing out the set, 25-9.
The Gorloks responded with a stronger effort in the second set. Trailing 11-5, Webster began to chip away at the deficit, eventually putting together a four-point run to take a 16-14 advantage. However, Westminster answered with 11 consecutive points to claim the set, 25-16.
Westminster carried its momentum into the third set, jumping out to an early 4-0 lead. The Gorloks battled back from a 15-10 deficit with five straight points to even the score at 15-15. The Blue Jays responded with three consecutive points to regain control before pulling away for a 25-19 victory to complete the sweep.
Match Two: Webster 3, Eureka 1
Webster bounced back in its second match of the afternoon, recording 48 kills while hitting .245 as a team. The Gorloks also collected 69 digs, nine service aces and five total blocks in the four-set victory.
Karen Lewis led the offensive attack with 11 kills on 20 attempts, finishing with a .450 hitting percentage. McGrath added seven kills without an attack error for a .350 hitting percentage, while Eva Tarlos contributed seven kills and hit .500. Urbanski finished with six kills, 16 assists and eight digs, while Emma Price added 16 assists, nine digs and four kills.
Filkins anchored the defense with a match-high 18 digs, while Maddie Bock contributed three service aces and six digs.
Eureka took an early advantage in the opening set, building a 19-15 lead before Webster responded with four consecutive points to tie the score at 19-19. The teams continued trading points down the stretch, with the Gorloks evening the score at 23-23. However, Eureka recorded back-to-back kills to secure a 25-23 victory.
The Gorloks answered with a dominant performance in the second set. Leading 4-2, Webster used a five-point run to extend its advantage to 9-2. After Eureka trimmed the deficit to 13-8, the Gorloks responded with six consecutive points to take a commanding 19-8 lead. Webster finished the set with 11 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, cruising to a 25-13 victory to even the match.
The third set featured another comeback from the Gorloks. Trailing 12-9, Webster scored five consecutive points to take a 14-12 advantage, capped by a kill from McGrath. The Gorloks maintained their lead before extending the margin to 22-17 behind a three-point run. Eureka pulled within three late, but McGrath delivered the final kill to secure a 25-21 victory. Webster recorded a match-high 17 kills in the set while hitting .300.
Webster carried that momentum into the fourth set. Trailing 7-6, the Gorloks scored four straight points to take a 10-7 lead. Webster continued to build its advantage, extending the margin to 17-9 before Eureka mounted a late comeback. The Red Devils scored four consecutive points to cut Webster's lead to 21-19, but the Gorloks answered with three straight points to reach match point. After Eureka scored once more, Lewis delivered the final kill to seal the 25-20 victory.
The Gorloks will return to action on Tuesday, October 27, when they travel to Hannibal, Missouri, to take on Hannibal-LaGrange University. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
