Senior forward Ethan Wirtschafter added an assist to his stat sheet on Oct. 31. (Alex Dering | Photo Editor)

Grab your eclipse glasses! The fall and winter seasons are overlapping, and what Student Life has dubbed the “sports eclipse” has begun. While the sky began to darken as first contact was made over the weekend, No. 4 volleyball defeated the best team in D-III, No. 1 women’s soccer team and the men’s soccer team both defeated the New York University (NYU) Violets, and No. 11 women’s and No. 15 men’s swimming and diving teams started their seasons. 

No. 3 volleyball

On Oct. 31, the No. 3 volleyball team competed in the Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) Classic and defeated two of the best teams in the country: then-No. 1 IWU and No. 15 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC). WashU entered the season ranked No. 14 after reaching the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 last year. Since then, the Bears have climbed steadily in the rankings and are on a 10-game winning streak with an overall record of 20-3 and 6-1 in University Athletic Association (UAA) conference play. 

The Bears swept their first opponent, the UWEC Blugolds, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-18). The two teams traded leads early in the first and third sets. WashU closed the first set on a 4-0 run after trailing 23-2. The Bears broke the second set’s 19-19 tie with 5 straight points before taking the set. In the third, the Bears turned a 10-9 lead into a 20-11 cushion before completing the sweep. 

Against the nation’s best D-III team, IWU, WashU quickly took a 21-6 lead and held on to win the set 25-15. The IWU Titans responded with an 11-3 run in the second set and won it 25-18. The Titans then edged out the Bears in extra points in the third set 25-27. Down two sets to one, WashU came back from an 11-9 deficit in the fourth set to win 25-21 and then held on to take the tiebreaker set 15-11.

Senior right side hitter Naya Ohuabunwa was named the MVP of the tournament. She led the team with 29 total kills over the weekend, with 22 from the IWU game alone, and 10 total blocks with five in each game. Senior right side hitter Leah Oyewole added 28 kills to the weekend, and senior defensive specialist and libero Ellie Laird led the Bears in digs with a total of 41. First-year setter Anya Mikhailenko recorded a double-double in each game, extending her collegiate total to 16. Overall, WashU had the edge in offensive efficiency throughout the Classic: they outhit UWEC .164 to .054 and IWU .263 to .172.

With the UAA No. 2 seed secured, the Bears will play three more nonconference games before the UAA Championships on Nov. 14. 

No. 1 women’s soccer

The No. 1 women’s soccer team continued its undefeated season with a Halloween victory over the No. 18 NYU Violets, winning decisively 4-0. This victory brings the Bears’ season record to 15-0-2 and 4-0-2 in UAA play. At this time last year, WashU was 16-0-1 and 6-0 in conference play. 

The Bears wasted no time getting on the board, scoring twice within the first 10 minutes of the game. With only two and a half minutes into the game, junior forward and midfielder Cami Colpitts scored the opening goal off an assist from junior forward Olivia Clemons. Just over six minutes later, Clemons scored a goal of her own, bringing her season total to nine. Senior midfielder Jadyn Aling added another goal right before halftime. Then, in the 82nd minute, sophomore midfielder Annika Park scored a penalty kick to seal the 4-0 victory.

WashU outshot NYU 13-2, with eight shots on goal compared to just one for the Violets. Looking ahead, WashU will travel to face No. 10 University of Chicago (UChicago) on Nov. 7 at 1:30 p.m. for their final match of the regular season. WashU tied with UChicago in the regular season every year since 2019. This year, the matchup will determine the winner of the UAA conference title. If the Bears win, this will be their nineteenth UAA title and the fourth one in a row. 

Men’s soccer

The men’s soccer team held off a late comeback attempt by NYU to secure a 2-1 victory. The win improves the Bears’ record to 10-3-3 on the season and 3-2-1 in UAA play.

WashU scored both of its goals in the first half of the game. Sophomore forward Casper Leary put the Bears on the board in the 10th minute, firing the ball into the lower right corner of the goal off an assist from senior defender Quentin Gomez. With four minutes left before halftime, the Violets’ keeper saved a shot from senior forward Ethan Wirtschafter but couldn’t control it. Sophomore defender Wole Adeoye was there to rebound the ball and double the Bears’ lead.

Despite WashU’s early lead, NYU dominated offensively, taking a total of 21 shots compared with the Bears’ nine. The Violets finally broke through in the 79th minute, cutting the Bears’ lead to 2-1. Heading into the final minutes, NYU continued to pressure the Bears, but senior goalkeeper Cal L’Hommedieu held off the Violets’ comeback attempt to secure the WashU win, recording five saves throughout the game.

The Bears will conclude their regular season on the road, against No. 5 UChicago on Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. If WashU wins, with a No. 3 Case Western Reserve University loss and a receiving-votes (RV) Emory University loss or tie this weekend, the Bears could claim their second consecutive UAA championship and get a bid to the NCAA D-III tournament. 

No. 11 women’s and No. 15 men’s swim and dive

The No. 11 women’s and No. 15 men’s swimming and diving teams kicked off their season on Oct. 31 in Chicago. The women’s team fell to both No. 7 UChicago and No. 14 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS), while the men’s squad beat No. 19 CMS but lost to No. 3 UChicago. 

The women’s team secured two event wins. Senior Kiera Johnson won the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:07.71. Senior Izzie Gattone won the other, finishing the 50-yard freestyle in 24.28. Overall, the women lost to UChicago 175-125 and CMS 158-142. 

The men’s squad captured three outright event wins, tied for first in another event. Sophomore Parker Chan finished first in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:10.40. Senior Marco Minai secured two wins: one in the 200-yard backstroke (1:50.73) and the other in the 400-yard individual medley (3:56.66). First-year Gage Wright secured his first collegiate win, tying for first in the 1-meter dive with CMS and beating UChicago with a score of 275.60. As a team, the men defeated CMS 166.5-133.5 and lost 155-145 to UChicago. 

WashU’s swimming and diving teams will return to Chicago on Nov. 6 and 7 to compete in the D3 Shootout. They will also host Sewanee: The University of the South on Nov. 7 at the Millstone Pool.