ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Webster University volleyball team advanced to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Tournament Semifinals on Thursday evening, sweeping Eureka College in straight sets (25-20, 25-18, 25-15) at Grant Gymnasium.
With the victory, the Gorloks improved to 13-13 overall and secured a spot in Saturday's semifinal round.
Reagan Howe led the Webster offense with seven kills and two block assists, while Mea Bystrom added six kills, four block assists and a service ace. Carley Hersberger finished with four kills, while Lauren Brown and Leah McGrath contributed three apiece.
Emma Price directed the offense with a team-high 16 assists, six digs and two service aces, while Addison Urbanski added 10 assists, six digs and two aces. Defensively, Lexi Filkins led the Gorloks with 11 digs.
Webster finished with 32 kills, 10 service aces and eight total blocks, while limiting Eureka to a .000 hitting percentage.
The Gorloks established control early in the opening set, building an 8-4 advantage before extending their lead to 21-14. Eureka rallied to pull within four at 24-20, but Bystrom delivered the set-clinching kill to give Webster a 25-20 victory.
Eureka opened the second set with a 10-5 lead before Webster battled back. Trailing 11-8, the Gorloks rattled off seven consecutive points behind the serving of Price, including back-to-back aces, to take a 15-11 advantage. Webster maintained control down the stretch, closing the set with a pair of blocks to secure a 25-18 win.
The Gorloks carried that momentum into the third set. Leading 8-7, Webster scored nine unanswered points to break the set open at 17-7. Brown fueled the run from the service line, recording an ace, while Howe added a kill. Webster maintained its advantage before Eva Tarlos delivered the match-clinching service ace to complete the sweep, 25-15.
Webster advances to the SLIAC Tournament Semifinals on Saturday, November 14, where the Gorloks will face Westminster College at 2 p.m. at Greenville University in Greenville, Illinois.
