November 17th, 2009 by Johann Qua Hiansen
The results speak for themselves and four Wash. U. teams have advanced to the next level in the NCAA tournament. Cleveland, Ohio plays host to three of those teams.
For the men’s and women’s cross country team, one race this Saturday will define their season’s worth of practices and races during rain and other harsh weather conditions. The Bears have been rebounding from sickness and injuries. Hopefully, they’ll be able to have a good showing.
Women’s volleyball advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over No. 8 Carthage College in the Regional Final. Last year, Ohio Northern spoiled the Lady Bear’s run to the title but with Ohio Northern and defending national champion Emory University already knocked out, this weekend will be interesting. After talking with players, there’s a sense of not looking beyond their next opponent and taking it one game at a time. Colorado College pulled out the 3-2 win against the University of La Verne and will face the Bears on Thursday. The stage is set if Wash. U. and Hope College win on Thursday for a rematch. The Bears fell 3-1 to Hope in early September.
On the other side of the bracket, Wisconsin- Osh Kosh, Juniata College and Trinity (TX) which downed Emory, are all potential contenders in the championship game.
Women’s soccer advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in four years and face familiar foe Wheaton (Ill.) at Rockford, Ill. Last year, the Thunder took down the Bears and ended their title run. With two one goal overtime victories this weekend, Wash. U.’s offense is under pressure to produce quickly so that the defense can take charge through the rest of the game.
Good luck to all the teams this weekend. It’s going to be an exciting one.
Tags: carthage, Cross Country, emory, nationals, ohio northern, postseason, Volleyball, wheaton
Posted in Cross Country, Fall Sports, Volleyball, Women's Soccer | No Comments »
October 18th, 2009 by Johann Qua Hiansen
First off all congratulations to the seniors of both the men’s and women’s soccer teams on all their accomplishments as they were recognized during Senior Day. Unfortunately for the guys, the celebration was spoiled by No. 6 University of Rochester in the final 7 minutes of the game. Most of the men’s game was competitive but one mistake proved to be the downfall. Rochester was looking to win this game after losing to Chicago with six seconds left to play in overtime.
Women’s Soccer
The Lady Bears fought a hard battle at Francis Field. Senior Becca Heymann put the team on the board with a goal off a Rochester defender. The Yellowjackets scored just two minutes later before both defenses took charge for the remaining 69 minutes. Some of the players said punches had been throw and I noticed a few players taking the ball to the face.
Overtime proved to be just as dramatic. Sophomore Lee Ann Felder saved a ball from going out of bounds and advanced it to classmate Emma Brown on the left side. Brown dribbled it down the side and it looked like there was no shot. But Brown found Rosoff who wasn’t even looking at the goal when the ball came her way. Rosoff, who was marked, flicked the ball off her heel and up into the bar before it stopped inside the Rochester goal. The game winner was Rosoff’s tenth of the season and 41st career goal placing her one goal short of third overall.
The men’s final home game is on Friday at 7 p.m. against Berry College. The women’s last home game is on Sunday against Fontbonne University at 1 p.m. If the women win the remainder of their UAA games, they will win the conference championship outright. The men are currently in fourth place in UAA standings.
Tags: caryn rosoff, emma brown, lee ann felder, rochester, Senior Day
Posted in Fall Sports, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer | No Comments »
September 18th, 2009 by Johann Qua Hiansen
I’ve watched many volleyball matches. I’ve covered the last two seasons of Washington University volleyball and watched the Bears capture the 2007 national championship in 2007. Despite this, I’ve never seen a match go so far.
The scores say No. 7 Wash. U. swept No. 1 Juniata College on Sept. 17, 2009 ending a winless streak since 2005. Every set went into extra points. But Wash. U. held on and won (27-25,41-39, 28-26). The 41 points scored set a new Division III record for most points scored in a single set under the 25 point format. Each Wash. U. error was greeted with a groan as the Eagles caught break after break. In past performances this season, the Bears have taken it to the edge before dropping sets 26-24.
The last two Juniata games I saw were also Red Alert sponsored games with crowds in the 1,500 range. Both of those featured close sets with the Eagles eventually triumphing.
What was different this time?
Smaller crowd of 512 people due to Rosh Hashanah and the Balloon Glow.
Ball control- Wash. U. had 68 digs and 12 blocks (five solo, 14 assisted).
Motivation-At the beginning of the season, I talked with tri-captain senior Laura Brazeal who had told me this was one of the games she looked forward to because no one on the team had beaten Juniata before. Now they have. While it might not be a national championship, it could be a preview of a match down the line.
Everyone stepped up especially freshmen Marilee Fisher and Kelly Pang. Fisher had 44 assists and 8 kills. Both she and junior Marya Kaminski had .462 nights. Senior Erin Albers was explosive down the middle with a team high 15 kills.
In a story by Juniata’s Sports Information Department, Juniata head coach Larry Bock said “We were out-ball controlled, and that’s something uncharacteristic for Juniata volleyball.”
Wash. U. shows promise. Juniata beat UAA rival Emory last week. Wash. U. beat Juniata. We’ll see what happens Saturday but if the Bears keep their nerve in these tense moments, great things will come. They have fallen to Ohio Northern and Hope College earlier in the season.
Tags: juniata, NCAA record, teri clemens, upset, Volleyball
Posted in Fall Sports, Volleyball | No Comments »
September 13th, 2009 by Johann Qua Hiansen
Lynn Imergoot Memorial
I went to the Lynn Imergoot memorial service at Graham Chapel on Sunday afternoon. For those who are unaware, Imergoot passed away on July 24 in a car crash. Imergoot was the former head women’s tennis coach and an assistant athletics director. Her last position was as the assistant director of intramural and club sports.
I was impressed with the turnout of staff, students, friends and family. Each of the people present was a testament to Imergoot’s influence. Her legacy reaches far beyond her family and deep into many of the successful varsity and intramural sports available at Wash. U.
Women’s Golf
Wash. U’s fledging golf program made a big statement, dispatching two top-20 teams at the Wartburg Invite. The Bears first place finish in a field of 22 was their strongest performance in their two year history. Freshman Hannah Buck continues to impress spectators with a third place finish. The full story will be in Wednesday’s issue but look to the golf team to go far this season.
Men’s Soccer
It must be frustrating to have so many ties for the men’s soccer team. I caught a bit of Sunday’s game against Rhodes College and the team overcame a 1-0 deficit to knot the score at 1-1. Wash. U. has had the opportunities yet struggle to finish off their opponent. It was another double overtime tie. The Bears need some wins in the upcoming games.
Women’s Soccer
The Bears displayed their dominance and resilience this weekend with a 3-1 win over No. 21 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps followed by a 10-0 rout of Grinnell College on Saturday evening. It’s a pretty big statement when the top scorer, Emma Brown, didn’t even account for half the team’s goals. Brown finished with a hat trick while Lee Ann Felder had two. Five other Wash. U. players chipped in a goal as well. Hopefully the team doesn’t get overconfident and end up playing sloppy in their Michigan road trip.
Women’s Volleyball
This weekend illustrated the depth and potential of the volleyball team. With Vicki Blood and Erin Kasson sitting out part of the weekend, freshman Marilee Fisher and sophomore Lauren Budde stepped up. The two seem to bei in rhythm. Kristen Thomas continues to consistently deliver some strong kills. Wash. U. looked a little sloppy in their 3-0 loss to Ohio Northern but battled back or set the tone early in their other matches. Whitewater looked to be in control in the final match before Fisher sparked a slumbering Wash. U. offense. With Whitewater beating Ohio Northern, the Bears split the title.
The upcoming Teri Clemens Invitational is one of the toughest tournaments in Division III. Should Wash. U. win the tourney, the Bears will make a strong statement heading into the future. The odds are against No. 8 Wash. U. with arch rival No. 2 Juniata, No. 6 University of La Verne and No. 7 University of St. Thomas in contenton.
Tags: claremont-mudd-scripps, emma brown, grinnell, kristen thomas, lauren budde, lee ann felder, lynn imergoot, marilee fisher, rhodes college
Posted in Fall Sports, Men's Soccer, Volleyball, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer | No Comments »
September 6th, 2009 by Johann Qua Hiansen
Saturday morning was cold, dark and rainy. Most students would have been in bed when the women’s four kilometer run started at 9:00 a.m or when the men’s six kilometer run began at 9:30 a.m.
Despite the early hour, Washington University athletes were up for a test against the elements and talented opponents. Conditions on the course were grueling at best. Rain slicked grass made for a slippery slope on portions of the course in Forest Park’s Central Field. Mud was bountiful with shoes submerging at least an inch for every step a runner took.
The Wash. U. women took first beating out Division I schools Xavier University and St. Louis University. The men took second in a field of 17 schools behind Xavier. Times weren’t that important in this meet given the tough conditions. Talking with the runners showed how though Wash. U. has both a men’s and women’s team, both are in the same family.
Throughout the meet, the men would cheer on the women while the women would do the same. No one left until everyone had finished. Numerous Wash. U. track & field athletes were also acting as guides and helped run the meet.
The three top men’s finishers: sophomore Michael Burnstein, freshman David Hamm, and sophomore Malik Nabulsi hadn’t even been running for Wash. U. last year. Senior Molly Schlamb, who finished first for the women, had to overcome injuries throughout most of last season.
From my observations, the team continued to cement their team bond through the difficulty of the meet. The experience will also help them if they encounter adverse conditions in other meets.
Tags: Cross Country, david hamm, malik nabulsi, michael burnstein, Molly Schlamb
Posted in Cross Country, Fall Sports, Women's Golf | No Comments »
September 4th, 2009 by Johann Qua Hiansen
Two more volleyball matches this Friday evening with Wash. U. sweeping Webster University and Millikin University in straight sets.
The Bears suffered a few scares taking one match with the Gorloks to 23-23 before prevailing 25-23. Webster has greatly improved this year and seemed to have much better communication on the court.
Erin Kasson and Kristen Thomas continue to pace the attack for Wash. U. Both have such tremendous force and have been working on minimizing their errors.
Erin Albers had a great second match against Millikin with a 10 kill, .643 percentage.
Kasson’s jump serve continues to confound opponents though she had a three errors in the second match. When Kasson and Tricia Brandt are serving, the Bears seem to go on a run and get back within the game.
Wash. U. was down 12-17 against Millikin when Kasson started serving. But the Bears started hitting back and Millikin took a time out with the score 20-19 in Wash. U.’s favor. Brandt took over serving after the sideout and brought the score to 24-20.
Freshman Meg Buker did a fine job as setter against Webster with 31 assists and sophomore Lauren Budde has deftly received serves all day. Budde was a perfect 30 for 30 Friday. Laura Brazeal went 34 for 35.
Despite the many good things to be seen, there’s work to do. The team needs to continue working on their on court communication. Several times, players would bunch up together leaving open a gaping hole for opponents to exploit.
Tomorrow’s games should be more of the same as Coach Luenemann experiments with different lineups. This upcoming match against Ohio Northern should prove to be interesting given last year’s loss in the Regional Final.
Tags: millikin, Volleyball, webster
Posted in Fall Sports, Volleyball | No Comments »