The No. 1-ranked Washington University volleyball team looked poised to win their 17th straight University Athletic Association (UAA) conference title last weekend, beating Case Western Reserve University, the University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University and New York University, before meeting No. 3 Emory University in the championship match. But just one match shy of a attaining a perfect 34-0 season, the Bears fell to Emory in the finals. Even with the loss, the Bears finished the regular season with a remarkable 33-1 record, and they go into the NCAA tournament with a first-round bye.

The Bears rolled through Case Western in three games (30-14, 30-15, 30-18). Sophomore Emilie Walk led the Bears offensively with 11 kills, while senior Kara Liefer added another 22 assists to her season tally. While the offense scored the points, the defense won the game, as every single Bear that saw time added at least one dig. Junior Amy Bommarito led the way with 12.

The University of Chicago was handled in similar fashion, dropping three straight games to the Bears (30-20, 30-17, 30-14). Sophomore Haleigh Spencer had another all-around great performance with 10 kills and 11 digs. Senior Megan Houck also added 10 kills, while Liefer added another 18 assists.

The Bears’ last opponent on Friday was Carnegie Mellon University. Like every other opponent, the Tartans fell in three games (30-18, 30-12, 30-28). In a match in which the Bears hit .422 as a team, Walk led the offense again with 12 kills, while sophomore Amy Baum added 11. Liefer had nine kills and a dominating 37 assists. Senior Nicole Hodgman led the defense with 10 digs.

Going into the conference semifinals against NYU, the Bears were ready for tougher competition, jumping out to an 11-0 lead in the first game. They eventually won the first game 30-12 before winning the match in four games (30-12, 30-24, 27-30, 32-30). Jumping to the offensive lead was junior Whitney Smith, who grabbed a team-high 16 kills, while Walk added another 11 kills to her weekend. Houck also was in double digits with 10 kills. Liefer increased her previous game total to 39 assists, while Bommarito added 14 digs.

While the Bears previously won 16 straight UAA titles through 53 consecutive UAA round robin and tournament matches, they fell to their first foe all season against Emory (25-30, 22-30, 27-30). Both Houck and Smith had nine kills, while Liefer had another 32 assists.

The University will begin its run at a Division III record ninth national championship this weekend. After a first-round bye, the Bears will face the winner of the Carlton and Concordia-Moorhead match. The Bears are second all-time in Division III tournament wins, with 64, and third all-time in Final Four appearances, with 13.

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