Matt RubinTough blocking and a commanding offense led the second-ranked Bears volleyball team to a victory against Division II opponent University of Missouri-St. Louis last Thursday.
The Bears, who moved to 24-1 on the season with the win, tied the all-time single game block record with 22 and won their 40th straight home game.
Taking an early lead, the Bears were able to hold off a late UMSL run to win the first game 30-24. The Bears held on for a 30-27 win in the second frame, but the Riverwomen rallied to take the next two 26-30, 27-30. The Bears rallied to win the match’s decisive game five 15-7.
Senior Whitney Smith led the defensive stand with 13 blocks, tying the WU single-match record and moving her into eighth on the all-time list with 349.
Junior Emilie Walk added seven blocks along with 19 kills, making only four errors on 25 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage. Sophomore Nikki Morrison contributed 13 kills and six blocks.
Sophomore setter Audra Janak tallied 28 assists and five digs as her freshman counterpart Vicki Blood added 27 assists and six digs.
Defensively, senior Amy Bommarito collected 19 digs while junior Haleigh Spencer matched her output and added nine kills.
It was a family affair for Bommarito as her sister is a graduate assistant for the Riverwomen.
The Bears will travel to Bloomington, Ill. to compete in the Titan Tournament this weekend where they will take on UW-Stout, host Illinois Wesleyan, Monmouth College and Carthage College.