Matt RubinJumping back to the second spot in the national rankings, the Washington University volleyball team took on neighbor Fontbonne University last Thursday. The Griffins were soundly defeated by the Bears in a match that lasted a little over an hour.
“We just have to go out there in the mind frame that it doesn’t matter who the opponent is or what day of the week it is. We are going to play hard and give it everything we have,” said junior Haleigh Spencer.
Game one was highlighted by six of junior outside hitter Emilie Walk’s game high 16 kills. The Bears coasted to an easy 30-17 game one victory. “Playing a match in the middle of the week is difficult because it throws off our rhythm for the week. It can be hard to adjust to playing at that time. We really wanted to stay focused and be sure that we play our game,” said senior libero Amy Bommarito.
Walk continued to dominate in the second frame adding another five kills and gathering five blocks and three service aces along the way. Bommarito also added three service aces in the match. The Bears ran away with a 30-20 game two victory.
Falling behind early in the third game, the Bears quickly rallied for a 30-25 win and the match victory. Walk received help from senior middle hitter Whitney Smith who added 11 kills and four blocks as well as junior hitter Haleigh Spencer who tallied seven kills. Sophomore setter Audra Janak collected 28 assists in only two games played while her freshman counterpart Vicki Blood added nine.
The Bears return to the court after a mid-season hiatus to face University Athletic Association competition in Atlanta, Ga. next weekend.
“Even though the time off is good for us, it will be exciting to play again,” said Bommarito. “I think we’ll all be rejuvenated and ready to step up our game for conference.”
First up for the Bears will be last season’s bottom finishers Case Western Reserve University and the University of Chicago. The Bears have never lost a game to either team. The highlighted match of the weekend will come against 14th-ranked New York University, a team that has been to the elite eight the last four seasons including two trips to the final four. In 2003, they finished runner-up behind the National Champions, Washington University.
“Even though we are not playing Emory, we can’t take any of the teams lightly,” said Spencer. “We play NYU this weekend and they are always strong. The rest of our teams in the UAA are also good and they always play their best game against us. You have to go into the weekend thinking that it is the conference championship. Even without Emory, this weekend is still important and we need to take it seriously.”