The Bears volleyball team began the season in commanding fashion, beating Dominican, Whitworth, Rhodes, and Illinois Wesleyan en route to winning the Washington University Classic.

With the loss of All-American outside hitter Colleen Winter, the Bears had to answer the question of whether their offense would be as good as it was in years past.

“We knew the graduation of Colleen Winter would pose a special challenge for our ball control players,” said head coach Rich Luenemann. “Colleen was the best digger and passer I’ve ever coached, and her incredible ball control was a huge factor in our ability to run the Bears quick offense.”

With 11 returning letter-winners and two All-Americans, the critics were silenced as the Bears compiled over 220 kills in the Washington University Classic.

“We hit .423 for the tournament which is one of our strongest offensive outputs we’ve had since I’ve been at Washington University,” said Luenemann.

Emilie Walk led the Bears with 42 kills, and senior Megan Houck contributed 34 kills.

“Megan Houck and Emilie Walk showed why they’re considered two of the top middle hitters in Division III,” continued Luenemann. “They played well, and we’ll continue to expect great things from them.”

Sophomore Haleigh Spencer was solid throughout the entire tournament, contributing 36 kills and 31 digs.

“Haleigh Spencer enjoyed one of the best ‘coming-out parties’ I’ve ever seen,” said Luenemann. “Haleigh’s mother and father hit 500 balls at her each day during the summer. The hard work certainly paid off.” Spencer also led the team with 10 aces throughout the tournament.

Junior Amy Baum also added 22 kills.

“Baum, our other outside hitter, had a very stellar tournament,” said Luenemann. “Her passing and attacking were solid, and that’s exactly what we need from her.”

The Bears were lead by the play of senior setter Kara Liefer. Coming off an All-American junior season, Liefer led the team with 142 assists in the tournament with a dominating triple-double against Illinois Wesleyan (13 kills, 48 assists, 14 digs).

“She’s become the most dynamic setter in Division III,” commented Luenemann. “Kara worked diligently over the summer to enhance her game, and it shows.”

The Bears’ defense was solid as well. Junior Amy Bommarito contributed 32 digs, and senior Nicole Hodgman added 21. A majority of the defensive duties were assigned to Bommarito this fall after the loss of Colleen Winter. As Luenemann noted, “She’s responded splendidly. She’s a rock and will be a major reason for our successes this year.”

The first day of play proved to be smooth for the Bears, sweeping both Dominican (30-11, 30-11, 30-24) and No. 24 Whitworth (30-13, 30-24, 30-14) in straight sets. The Bears also rolled right over Rhodes College (30-16, 30-19, 30-19) while dropping only one game to Illinois Wesleyan (30-23, 31-33, 32-30, 30-20) to win the match 3-1.

The wins this weekend were also a milestone for Luenemann, as he surpassed 800 career wins with a 3-0 sweep of Whitworth.

Yet there is always room for improvement on a team that continually plays for a national championship. Luenemann did find areas in need of improvement. “Our blocking and serving [could use improvement]. We should be one of the best blocking teams in NCAA III. It’s a good feeling knowing we played well but can still enhance our level of play much more,” he said.

“Our challenge will be to continue to play well against elite competition. There’s no doubt our opponents will always bring their ‘A’ games when they face the Bears,” said Luenemann.

Riding a four-game win streak, the Bears will need to play well as they host a challenging National Invitational this weekend against No. 4 Wittenberg, No. 13 Central College, No. 11 Ohio Northern, and No. 9 Mount St. Joseph.

Luenemann is rightly optimistic about the season ahead.

“All the pieces of the puzzle are in place for a banner season. Each player needs to assume the responsibility for improving her game. When that happens, we’ll compete at a very high level.”

As the shining stars have yet to be uncovered, the Bears should have a challenging run at another successful season.

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