Farrah and Gorloks Capture NCAA Statistical Titles
With Kristen Farrah leading the way the Webster University volleyball team takes home three NCAA Division III statistical titles for the 2018 season. Farrah finished as the nation's leader in digs per set while the team took home titles for team digs per set and team attacks per set.
The Gorloks not only led all of NCAA Division III in digs per set, but Webster led all NCAA volleyball squads (DI, DII, DIII) in the digs per set category. Additionally, Webster was second among all NCAA volleyball squads in the team attacks pet set category. It was first-ever national team statistical championships for Webster's volleyball program and the first time one of Webster's teams has won a national statistical championship since the baseball team earned the strikeouts per nine innings honor in 2017. On the season, Webster, who is coached by Merry Graf, recorded 23.49 digs per set and a 41.96 team attacks per set.
Webster, who finished the season with a 19-12 overall record and claimed a share of the regular season SLIAC title, recorded 100 or more digs in seven matches, including a season-high 156 digs in the Gorloks five-set win over Westminster (Mo.) College in the semifinals of the SLIAC Tournament and had had 10 matches with more than 150 attacks and tallied 100 or more attacks in all but three matches and recorded 4,468 attacks on the season, which is eighth most in the program's history. The Gorloks had five players on the season record 200 or more digs, including two players, sophomore libero Kristen Farrah (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell) and sophomore outside hitter Samantha Kruse (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) each tallying over 400 digs as Farrah recorded 882 and Kruse had 419 digs on the year. Farrah's 882 digs were a new single-season school record. On the year, four Gorloks recorded 450 attacks on the season as senior right side hitter Samantha Budrovich (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran South) led the way with 932 attacks, while Kruse had 905 attacks. Additionally, a total of 11 Gorloks posted 100 or more attack attempts on the season.
Farrah becomes the first-ever Webster Volleyball player to earn a national statistical championship plaque and she is the first Gorlok student-athlete to win an NCAA Division III national statistical title since baseball players Josh Fleming and Kyle Uhrich earned the lowest ERA and strikeouts per nine innings national statistical titles in 2017. During the recently completed 2018 season, Farrah finished with an average of 8.32 digs per set as she edged Clarkson's Kate Isaksen (7.97) to finish first among 250 qualified student-athletes. Additionally, Farrah's 8.32 digs per set led all NCAA levels as the Division II leader, USC Aiken's Rebecca Martinez averaged 7.86 digs per set and the Division I leader, Bowling Green's Kallie Seimet averaged 6.74 digs per set.
On the season, Farrah, who was named the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Defensive and Player of the Year and was also named an Honorable Mention AVCA All-Central Region selection, recorded 882 digs, which was second in Division III to Isaksen, who tallied 901 digs on the year. Farrah, who was a four-time SLIAC Defensive Player of the Week, recorded double-digit digs in all 31 matches, including having 20 or more digs in a match 23 times, including a school-record 57 digs in Webster's five-set win over Westminster in the semifinals of the SLIAC Tournament. The 57 digs were tied for the most digs in a match by a Division III player this season. Earlier in the season against MacMurray, Farrah became the 14th member of the school's 1,000 Dig Club and closed out her sophomore campaign sitting 10th on the school's all-time dig chart with 1,281 digs. In addition, her 882 digs this season is eighth all-time in a single season in Division III history and her 8.32 digs per set average is second in a single season in Division III history. She is one of just eight Division III players to record at least 880 digs in a season.
