The Washington University volleyball team had a solid weekend at the Baden Invitational. The Bears rebounded from a tough loss Friday with three straight wins.

Isabella Neubauer | Student Life

Senior middle hitter Julianne Malek hits a kill against Milliken University in the opening match in the Baden Invitational. Malek was one of two Bears awared the Baden Invitational All-Tournament Team honors after ending the tournament with a team-high .443 hitting percentage.

The Bears opened the tournament against Aurora University. The Spartans outplayed the Bears from start until finish. Wash. U. fell behind, 2-7, early and never got closer than three points after that in the first set. They lost 15-25. The second set was a closer contest, with the Bears leading at points. However, Aurora was able to win the set, 22-25. The last set was a dominant one from the Spartans. They had a hitting percentage of .542. Wash. U. lost the set decisively, 10-25.

The Bears responded to the loss well by winning their second match of the night against Wartburg. The teams traded the first two sets, with each winning by a margin of 25-20. Late in the third set, the momentum had shifted in Wash. U’s favor. The Bears traded points with Wartburg early in the set, but Wash. U. took control with eight straight points. Sophomore Tricia Brown produced multiple kills in that run, and senior Ifeoma Ufondu produced the kill that clinched the set, 25-17. Wash. U. had a great set to close the game. Junior Hannah Turner was flawless in the set, getting three kills and no errors on five attempts. Senior Julianne Malek got three blocks in the set, which contributed to her career-high seven blocks on the night. The Bears were up 24-14 at one point and would win the set, 25-20.

It was a memorable night for senior Natalie Stephanus. She became the 22nd player from Wash. U. to reach 1,000 digs in her career with her 13 total digs against Wartburg.

On Saturday, the Bears continued their play in the Baden Invitational. The Bears had a 16-13 lead in the first set, but Millikin clawed back to win the set, 21-25. The next two sets were controlled by the Bears. Millikin played well enough to keep the contest close, but the Bears were clearly on their way to victory, 25-21 and 25-22, respectively. The Bears finally managed to blow open the lead in the final set. Freshman Caitlin Lorenz had four kills on four attempts as the Bears took the set, 25-16.

The Bears coasted to victory in their final match of the weekend against University of Texas-Dallas. Malek was five for five in converting attacks to kills in the first set. Wash. U. won it, 25-21. The second set was much closer, as late in the match, the Bears clung to a one-point lead, 21-20. Bears managed four of the last five points to win 25-21. Junior Zoe Baxter was excellent down the stretch of the last set, with consecutive aces to give Wash. U. a 23-16 lead. The Bears would win the set, 25-19.

The Bears improved their record to 22-6 on the season. The Red and Green will play their last regular season game Tuesday at Greenville University before they travel to Rochester, NY, for the UAA Championship tournament next weekend. The third seeded Bears will open the tournament against sixth seeded New York University.