Webster Three-Peats In Volleyball
Webster University's volleyball squad captured its third consecutive conference tournament championship with a 3-0 sweep (25-12, 25-13, 25-20) of Principia College on Saturday evening (Nov. 9). The championship is Webster's seventh in eight years.
By virtue of winning the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship, the Gorloks get an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament.
The win was Webster's 26th this season, breaking the school record set by the 2007 squad.
Three Gorloks were named to the all-tournament team, headed by junior Sam Kersting (St. Louis, MO / Lindbergh), who was chosen the conference tournament's Most Valuable Player. Other Webster honorees were junior Jenny Howard (Florissant, MO / Duchesne), and junior Kristen McDowell (Staunton, IL / Staunton). Those same three players were Webster's representatives on the all-tournament team last season when Howard was the tournament MVP.
Kersting topped Webster in the championship match with 16 points and 14 kills. She was the only player in double figures in those categories. Kersting, a third team All-American last season, hit .440 in the match and added two solo blocks.
Kersting is hitting .355 this season, fourth highest in school history behind her .363 mark last season. She has scored 457 points, more than she had last season, and the ninth-highest total ever by a Gorlok in a season. The middle blocker is ninth all-time in the Webster records book for most block assists in a season and ninth for total blocks in a season.
Junior Allie O'Toole (St. Louis, MO / Lutheran South) was credited with 23 assists, her sixth consecutive 20-assist match. Prior to this streak, the setter reached that plateau eight times in her 26 matches this season. O'Toole has set a personal high for assists in a season with 606, which is the 13th highest total in school history.
Freshman Katie O'Toole (St. Louis, MO / Lutheran South) paced the Gorlok defense with 22 digs, her sixth consecutive match with 16 or more digs. She did not have more than 11 digs in any of her first 12 matches this season. Now she has moved into 10th place on the school's all-time list for digs in a season, and is on pace to finish with the third-highest season dig average (per set) ever by a Webster player.
The regionals of the NCAA tournament are next Friday and Saturday (Nov. 15-16) at a site to be determined.
Following the conclusion of the championship match the All-Tournament team was announced. The 2013 SLIAC Volleyball All-Tournament team is:
Nicole Schaeffer, Greenville
Jess Bushong, Principia
Tess Rountree, Principia
Jenny Howard, Webster
Sam Kersting, Webster - MVP
Kristen McDowell, Webster
Riley Lawrence, Westminster
COURTESY OF WEBSTER UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
