Blackburn Volleyball was eliminated from the 2022 SLIAC tournament on Wednesday evening by Webster University. The Gorloks took the match in four sets, by the following scores:
Set 1: Webster 25, Blackburn 11
Set 2: Blackburn 25, Webster 17
Set 3: Webster 25, Blackburn 23
Set 4: Webster 25, Blackburn 13
After a slow start for the Beavers in the first set, Blackburn turned the momentum of the match in set two. Blackburn went on a five-point run in the second set, resulting in a 10-5 lead. After several more rallies, the Beavers went on yet another scoring run, and were eventually leading Webster 18-11.
Several players contributed to the second set win. Emilie King played a hard-fought match, especially in set two. King was unstoppable in the second set, where she collected the majority of her twelve kills on the night.
Emily Eitzenhefer and Jessica Muckensturm both completed the match with nine kills. Muckensturm also received credit for two block assists, in addition to two service aces as well.
The third set was the closest set of the match. It seemed as if neither team was able to capitalize on momentum, as the score was tied for nearly the entire set. The biggest lead in set three was 14-11 Blackburn. This score did not remain long however, as Webster tied the set by scoring three consecutive points following a timeout.
After several intense rallies, and many more tie scores, the Beavers found themselves down 23-21 in set three. A clutch kill from Muckensturm followed by an ace from Muckensturm tied the set at 23. However, Webster scored the two remaining points and won the set.
With all the energy in their favor, Webster shut the door on the Beavers in the fourth set. After Emilie King tied the set at 10, Webster went on an eight-point scoring run, giving them a comfortable 18-10 lead. The Gorloks would not look back, and kept the lead for the remainder of the match.
Elizabeth Bowyer added to her career stat line, finishing the match with five kills and 15 digs. Autumn Wilson added to her career dig total with 14 more from tonight’s match. Holly Heuerman tallied twelve digs in the match as well.
Other notables for the Beavers include Alivia Reed and Abby Sobczak, who both finished with double digit assists; Reed tallied 19 while Sobczak had ten.
The Beavers finish their 2022 season with a final record of 5-22, and 4-10 in the SLIAC. A long offseason awaits the returners for the team, where the team will be looking to begin preparing for their spring season.