ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) has released the 2026 SLIAC Volleyball Preseason Poll with the Webster University volleyball team being picked to finish tied for third.
Greenville University was selected as the preseason favorite, receiving 36 points and six first-place votes, while Westminster College was picked second with 31 points and one first-place vote. Webster and Lyon College tied for third with 22 points, followed by Blackburn College with 18 points, Spalding University with 11 points and Eureka College with seven points.
The Gorloks return nine student-athletes from last season, including four seniors, two juniors and two sophomores. Senior Eva Tarlos leads the returning group after posting 153 kills and 215.5 points during the 2025 season. She averaged 2.39 points per set while adding 64 blocks and 21 service aces. Senior Maddie Bock also returns after recording 166 digs last season while adding 22 service aces.
Webster also returns seniors Lauren Brown, Jessie Leach and Kate Moleski, along with juniors Shalamar Szarka and Leah McGrath and sophomores Carley Hersberger and Catherine Rennier. Rennier recorded 20 blocks in 36 sets last season, while Hersberger added eight blocks in 30 sets.
Head Coach Merry Graf and her staff welcome 12 newcomers to the program, including five transfers and seven first-year student-athletes. The transfer class features Reagan Howe, Addison Urbanski, Lexi Filkins, Karen Lewis and Chloe Hendrix, while the freshman class includes Sydney Hendrickson, Mea Bystrom, Julia Stroup, Cameron Garcia, Hana Delkic, Emma Price and Lilly Bott.
The Gorloks will open the 2026 season on September 1 when they travel to take on the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis. Webster will make its home debut on September 3 against Principia College in Grant Gymnasium before facing Wheaton College, St. Olaf College and the University of California, Santa Cruz at the WashU Bear Invite on September 4-5.
Webster will continue its non-conference schedule with a home match against Knox College on September 9 before traveling to Chicago for the Windy City Invite on September 11-12. The Gorloks will face the University of Chicago, John Carroll University and Kalamazoo College during the two-day event before returning home to host Illinois College on September 15.
The Gorloks will open SLIAC play on September 23 when they host Blackburn College in Grant Gymnasium. Webster will then travel to Eureka College on September 26 before hosting Westminster College on September 29. Conference play will continue with a tri-match at Lyon College on October 3 against Spalding University and Lyon College before the Gorloks travel to Greenville University on October 6.
Webster will host Lyon and Spalding on October 17 for Senior Day and Dig Pink before traveling to Westminster College on October 24 for a conference tri-match against Eureka College and Westminster. The Gorloks will close the regular season with conference matches at Blackburn on November 4 and against Greenville on November 10 in Grant Gymnasium.
The SLIAC Tournament is scheduled for November 12 and 14, with the quarterfinals taking place on November 12 followed by the semifinals and championship match on November 14.
