With half of the volleyball players being freshmen this year, two-time SLIAC Player of the Year Lauren Borik has become a leader of the team. Being the only player to be on the team since 2019 and the only graduate student on the team this year, Borik helps her teammates both during games and off the court.
“Lauren is a good leader on and off the court,” Junior outside hitter Madison Katz said.
Borik and Katz have been playing alongside each other at Webster since 2021.
“Over the last couple of years, if I had ever struggled with a certain skill, she was always there to help me get through it. She always offered to go to the gym and get extra reps.”
Borik has played in over 350 sets in her college career, and as a graduate student, Borik’s seasoned presence helps her to guide the freshmen into college volleyball.
“I think [the freshmen have] done a really good job of learning and listening and asking questions,” Borik said.
During her first season on the team, Freshman Kate Moleski bonded with Borik. Moleski is an outside hitter, similar to Borik when she started at Webster.
“Getting to know her has been honestly amazing. She is a very positive teammate and a very strong leader,” Moleski said. “I truly don’t think I’d be doing as well as I am without her.”
Off the court, Borik credited her parents, Rob and Melissa Borik, for supporting her throughout her sports career, which before college included soccer, basketball and tennis on top of volleyball.
“We see all the extra work she puts in to try and achieve her goal,” Rob said. “I think volleyball was always her first love.”
With the season ending in a few weeks, Borik reflected on her career as a Gorlok.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Borik said. “The girls are like a big family, the coaching staff is amazing. I’d say everyone really pushes each other to be better on and off the court.”
In her career, Borik played in over 400 sets as a Gorlok and will finish her tenure as a top 10 volleyball player in Webster history.
In her final season, Borik has cruised through the record books. She became the fifth player in Webster history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. In her new position, Borik hit a season high in digs with more than 390.
Borik will finish top 20 in 10 categories including kills, digs and total points. This puts her just one more top 20 record behind Gorlok hall of famer Molly-Farrell Orlando.
Featured image contributed by Webster Athletics
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