Blackburn Volleyball Defeats Webster 3-1

CARLINVILLE, IL -- Blackburn College Volleyball collected a 3-1 victory over St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Webster University in a SLIAC matchup. The win gets the team one step closer to a return to the SLIAC Tournament as well. 

The Beavers were led by senior Cara Pence with 15 kills. Junior Ella Person and Payton Moeglin both added seven. Sophomore Kenadee Frey talllied 33 assists while senior Abygail Sobczak posted four aces. 

Defensively, Moeglin notched a team best 23 digs. Frey chipped in with 18 digs with Pence aiding the effort with 14 and sophomore Bailey Bennett adding 13. Junior Zoe Mitchell was a forceful presence at the net with four solo blocks. 

The match started with a close first set as both teams fought to an 11-11 tie. After Webster pulled ahead 14-12, Blackburn answered with five-straight points on their way to winning the set 25-20. The Beavers pulled ahead in the second set, taking an 16-7 lead but the Gorloks answered and took the set 25-23. 

In the third set, the teams fought to a 15-15 tie before a 10-5 run by Blackburn gave the hosts a 25-20 win. Both teams kept the fourth set close as the set saw five ties and both teams take a three-point lead before it was tied at 24-24. However, back to back attack errors from the Gorloks secured the set and match victory for Blackburn. 

With the win, the Beavers are now one game behind Eureka College for the sixth seed in the SLIAC Tournament. Blackburn will head to Eureka Saturday for an important SLIAC matchup.