WashU athletes competed coast to coast this weekend. In New York City, the No. 10 women’s volleyball team went 2-0 at the UAA Round Robin, sweeping Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and beating No. 13 The University of Chicago (UChicago). On the West Coast, the No. 4 women’s golf team took third place in the Hollins Cup at Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz, California. Back home in Forest Park, the men’s and women’s tennis teams combined for five titles at the World Tennis Number (WTN) Open. 

No. 10 women’s volleyball

The volleyball team went 2-0 in conference play at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Round Robin hosted by New York University on Oct. 11. WashU swept CWRU 3-0, then rallied past UChicago 3-1.

The Bears never let CWRU get comfortable, winning both of the first two sets 25-16 before completing the sweep with a 26-15 victory in the third. Two big runs did most of WashU’s damage throughout the match: a 10-0 stretch in the opening set and an 8-1 burst that put the third set out of reach.

The match against UChicago was a tougher test. The Maroons opened with five straight points, and after the Bears fought back to lead late in the set, UChicago saved three set points and took the first set 27-25 in overtime. The Bears responded by taking over the match, winning the next two sets 25-16 and 25-13. The fourth set was tied 10-10 when WashU called a timeout. The Bears then scored seven straight points and held on to win 25-21. WashU finished with a 12-5 edge in blocks and outhit UChicago .236 to .174.

Senior right-side hitter Leah Oyewole led the Bears with 16 kills against UChicago, including the match-winning point. First-year setter Anya Mikhailenko kept the offense humming with 68 assists across the two matches, along with six aces and 20 digs.

The Bears return home to host Webster University on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. for their Faculty & Staff Appreciation Game.

Men’s tennis

The WashU men’s tennis team closed its fall season at the WTN Open, an individual tournament held at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park from Oct. 9-11. Players competed in singles and doubles brackets, or flights, sorted by skill level. The Bears won both top flight titles in all-WashU finals. 

In Flight 1 singles, the semifinal and the final both pitted WashU players against each other. Sophomore Jeremy Sieben beat first-year Yuanye Ma in the semifinals and then faced first-year Jerry Han in the final. Han had not dropped a set all tournament, but Sieben was able to win 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (4) and claim the title.

The Bears also swept the top spots in Flight A doubles. Junior Drew Koval and senior Nathan Tam topped Sieben and first-year Jonah Becker 8-6 in the final after both pairs cruised through their semifinals 8-3. In Flight B, two more WashU teams reached the semifinals: sophomore Ethan Wu and Ma, and senior Daniel Radke and sophomore Spencer Yamamoto.

The Bears will open their spring season on Jan. 30 against the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at the Chesterfield Athletic Center.

Women’s tennis

The WashU women’s tennis team also competed in the WTN Open’s individual singles and doubles brackets. The Bears faced a mix of collegiate and non-collegiate players, including competitors from Saint Louis University (SLU), Southeast Missouri State University, and Missouri Baptist University. WashU finished with two singles titles, the doubles title and two consolation titles.

First-year Cassan Li won the Flight 1 singles title, beating sophomore teammate Lily Brecknock 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. Fellow first-year Emilie Lew won the title in Flight 3. Junior Sam Slowik and graduate student Leila Epstein won the Flight 2 and Flight 3 consolation brackets, respectively. 

In doubles, four WashU pairs reached the semifinals, which set up two all-WashU matchups. Senior Eleanor Archer and junior Caitlin Bui beat senior Emily Chiasson and Lew 8-3. Slowik and Epstein beat Li and Brecknock 8-5. In the final, Slowik and Epstein beat Archer and Bui 8-5 to claim the title.

The Bears will wrap up their fall season at the ITA Cup at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College in Rome, Georgia, from Oct. 15-18.

No. 4 women’s golf

The WashU women’s golf team finished third at the Hollins Cup, held at the world famous Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz, California. 

Eight of the other 12 teams competing are ranked in the latest Women’s Golf Coaches Association Coaches Poll, with five in the top 10. The Bears shot +39 over the two rounds to finish third behind No. 1 Emory University (+19) and No. 6 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (+29) and ahead of No. 2 Carnegie Mellon University, who finished in sixth. 

WashU opened with a strong round of +12, putting them in second, just two shots behind the leaders entering the final day. Sophomore Jessy Young led the way on day one with an even-par 72. The Bears couldn’t keep pace on day two, however, shooting +27 to slide out of contention.

First-year Eliza Meltzer was the Bears low individual for the second straight tournament, carding back-to-back 76s to finish at +8 and tie for seventh. Senior Amy Beanblossom tied for 14th at +11, and Young rounded out the top 20 at +13.

The Bears will close out their fall season next week in Williamsburg, Virginia, at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Fall Preview.