Volleyball is in action again this weekend with UAA Championship matchups. (Yiwen Zha | Student Life)

Wrapping up an impressive season that saw the Washington University volleyball team beat a number of nationally ranked opponents, including No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and No. 7 Johns Hopkins University, WashU was looking to end its season on a high note. In its final matchups before the postseason, it faced three opponents that the team historically handled with ease: Westminster College, Hendrix College, and Millikin University. Once again, the Bears took care of business, winning all three games and only dropping a total of two sets between these three games. 

The Bears kicked things off by sweeping Westminster College. They dominated the box score as a whole, as the team held advantages in all of the major statistical categories: kills, aces, assists, and digs.

The Bears started quickly in their first set as they raced out to an early 13-4 lead. Their lead was never in danger, and they ended the first set victorious 25-12. The second set was much of the same, as the Bears jumped out to a 10-5 lead and rode it to a 25-15 win. Junior Jasmine Sells continued her phenomenal season by leading the dominant Bears in this set, but it was not only familiar faces who made a difference, as sophomore Tori Taylor made her first kill of the season in this second set. 

The third set did not follow the trend of the first two sets, as the Griffins of Westminster would not go down without a fight. The Griffins got out to an early 8-3 lead and pushed to a 16-11 — but Westminster went on to commit a staggering five errors. A potent attack by the Bears took advantage of the Westminster mistakes, allowing WashU to creep back into the game and eventually allowing it to claim the final set and the match with a score of 25-23. 

The sweep of Westminster was a collective team effort, as the aforementioned Sells had a match-high seven kills, while star sophomore Sam Buckley had 26 assists, which was a match-high. Juniors Elise Gilroy and Lucy Davis also played major parts, as Gilroy had 12 digs while Davis had six kills. 

Next, the Bears partook in the Millikin Tri — a competition based in Decatur, Illinois — facing off against Hendrix and RV Millikin. 

Much like the early sets versus Westminster, WashU started the first set against Hendrix in control, getting out to an early 7-0 lead that eventually blossomed into a 25-13 Set 1 victory. Set 2 was a completely different story, as the Bears were locked into a dogfight. The set started with the Warriors of Hendrix actually up 6-3, but the Bears came back and were able to develop a small lead of 15-13. The Warriors clawed back, capitalizing on a late WashU error to win the second set with a final score of 25-23. 

The third set was again an intense battle between the two squads. The set started with the Bears trailing once again, as Hendrix jumped out to a 17-12 lead. The Bears clawed their way back into the match by taking an extremely slim 21-19 lead. Although Hendrix was able to regain the lead, it was only momentarily as the Bears closed the set strong and won 26-24. The fourth set ended up being the final set, and the Bears were the superior team, as they raced out to an early 15-5 lead. They cruised the rest of the way, winning 25-8 to take the set as well as the match.

As per usual, Buckley and Sells were dominant. Buckley had a match-high 43 assists while Sells had a match-high 18 kills. Senior Lily Steinbach also played a critical role, as she notched 11 kills. 

In the final match of the weekend, the Bears faced Millikin, a team on the outskirts of the national Top 25, and dominated this game to win three sets to one, which led the Bears to end the regular season with a final record of 22-7.

Next up for the Bears is the postseason, as they begin UAA tournament play on Nov. 10, where they will go up against Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The Bears, who finished tied for second in the regular-season conference standings with a 5-2 record, will look to compete for the title in one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. After a sweep to end their regular season, an impressive performance this upcoming weekend can cement the status of the Bears, who are ranked amongst the Top 10 teams in NCAA Division III as a national contender.