The Washington University volleyball team saw their 20-match winning streak snapped as the Emory Eagles captured the UAA crown in a tightly-fought five-set contest Saturday.

Prior to the title game, Wash. U. and Emory had dismantled their opponents with 3-0 sweeps all around.

Emory had the advantage with a 30-24 triumph in the first game. The result of the second game was almost the same. In fact, it was the same, except Wash. U. won (30-24) after coming out of hibernation and sprinting for seven points to erase their deficit and take the lead, capped with a service ace by senior defensive specialist Lindsay Schuessler.

Whenever Schuessler came in, the Eagles faltered with Schuessler contributing the two lone aces of the Bears and committing not a single serving error in 32 attempts. Acting as rover, she was all over the place.

“The other team might have thought they had won the point, but there’s Lindsay coming from nowhere to make an amazing play,” said senior captain Kathy Leeper.

The seesaw continued as Emory captured the third game 30-23.

The fourth game was a point for point battle as the Eagles tasted the possibility of a second UAA championship, but errors abounded, preventing either team from putting the game away early.

At times, spectators could not keep track of which side of the court the ball was on, as both teams made block after amazing block or save after amazing save.

A Bear claw slammed the volleyball, slicing through the air and right into the head of an Eagle who was propelled backwards. Few were safe from the blistering ball as attackers on both sides battered it back and forth.

The Red and Green were not ready to give up and slowly built up a four-point lead. The Eagles were not out of it as they scraped their way back to a tie at 27 points.

With the Bears on the brink of defeat, sophomore libero Laura Brazeal dropped the ball just on the edge of the back line. Moments later, senior Ellen Bruegge smacked a kill that drilled through the Emory defense. Emory answered back with a kill, but Wash. U. was able to get the side-out to win the game.

Coming off the fourth game, the Bears were down by three points before they began to claw their way back to the top to tie the final game at seven. A kill by an Emory attacker prompted the two teams to flip sides. After the court change, sophomore middle hitter Erin Albers answered with her own kill to tie up the game.

The nail-biting tug-of-war continued with a point to Emory before senior outside hitter Haleigh Spencer made a cross-court kill that cut through the Eagles and almost clipped their wings. The Eagles soared after that, but the Bears valiantly fought for every point with multiple digs and multiple saves. Despite their valiant efforts, the Eagles could not be caged.

“Emory played very well,” said Spencer, a captain. “It just didn’t fall our way.”

It was history repeating itself as the Bears’ only losses in the UAA this season as well as in 2005 had been to Emory in the UAA title match. This was the fourth straight year where Emory and Wash. U. met for the championship match.

Junior outside hitter Nikki Morrison and Albers led the offense over the weekend with double-digit kills and cumulative hitting percentages over .450 in the three matches leading up to the Emory contest.

In each of the pool play games against Case Western Reserve, University of Rochester and Carnegie Mellon, the Red and Green zoomed to a win in the first game before struggling a little in the second and finally controlling the third.

In one of the funnier moments of the tournament, junior Nikki Morrison stuffed a trash-talking Carnegie Mellon player to win the match.

The Bears now await their post season fate as the NCAA Division III committee announces the tournament field.

“A conference championship would have been nice, but a national championship is even better,” said Schuessler.

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