Zoe Foster (left) approaches the net. (Sam Powers | Student Life)

The No. 16 Washington University women’s volleyball team lost two of their first three games of the 2024 season. At the 2024 Kathryne Pals Legacy Invitational in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Bears defeated Coe College in the tournament’s first game but dropped their next two contests to No. 2 Hope College and No. 12 University of Northwestern-Minnesota.

In their first game against Coe’s Kohawks,  on Aug. 30, the Bears came up on top in a five-set thriller (25-21, 22-25, 25-16, 16-25, 15-13). However, the day following the win, they lost to Hope in five sets (25-17, 25-21, 17-25, 22-25, 12-15) and fell 0-3 against Northwestern.

“Our team was really gritty and worked hard to get as many touches as we could. It was really fun to watch,” head coach Vanessa Walby wrote. 

After four sets against the Kohawks left the teams tied, WashU went down 7-3 then 13-9 in the final set. With the game on the line, the Bears managed to go on a run and score the last six points of the set, courtesy of kills from senior defensive specialist Elise Gilroy, senior Zoe Foster, and senior Jasmine Sells.

“The most exciting moment of the weekend was in our Friday-night weekend against Coe,” Foster shared. “We started off the fifth set in a huge hole to climb out of, but I was so impressed and proud of the way my team and I rallied and took that deficit as a challenge instead of rolling over.”

The first game saw a strong start overall, but particularly for sophomore Leah Oyewole, who hit a career-high record of 17 kills, and Gilroy, who made a team-high 26 digs. 

Foster conveyed that starting off the weekend with so much grit and intensity was a great way to start off the season. 

“Remaining consistent with the high energy and intensity is going to be key for the rest of the season,” Foster said. “It’s exciting and poses new opportunities for us, especially after the hard schedule we had last year.”

Another highlight of the weekend was when Sells reached 1,000 career kills, which Oyewole highlighted as a major accomplishment. 

“[1,000 kills] is a very big milestone that not many people get,” Oyewole mentioned. “I’m really proud of her.”

Foster also received a prestigious honor last weekend when she made the 2024 Kathryne Pals Legacy Invitational All-Tournament Team. 

“It was very cool to get that recognition, especially as a senior,” Foster expressed. 

Against Hope, the Bears utilized their momentum from the previous game and started off strong out of the gate — they picked up the first two sets, with their longest run of the game in the second set pushing the score from 9-5 to 14-8. However, the Bears fell short in the next three sets despite keeping the scores close.

“The Hope game specifically could have gone either way … all five sets were so competitive and really close,” Foster said. “[It’s] one of those losses you still feel good about, and [you] hold your head high because it was just so competitive.” 

Walby had similar takeaways from the Bears’ performance against Hope.  

“I think taking the No. 2 team in the country [for] five tight sets leaves an impression with our team,” Walby wrote. “Competing this early with teams like Hope allows us to grow and prepare for the rest of our competitive season.”

While the team didn’t pull off wins in the second two games of their schedule, Walby stated that she saw an improvement in the Bears’ defense, which she saw as a positive when looking forward to the rest of the season.

“It wasn’t an easy schedule, and I think our ladies came to play,” Walby expressed. “I think it is a weekend we can learn from and continue to grow [from] as a team.”

“The speed and pace of the games of last weekend’s tournament is only going to prepare us moving forward and propel us into the postseason,” Foster noted. 

Going into this weekend’s East to West Battle, the Bears will play California Lutheran University, No. 5 Trinity University (Texas), and Tufts University. The tournament will be hosted at WashU, but the teams will compete in the Sumers Recreation Center and the Varsity Gym after a burst pipe caused damage to the Field House floor.

“Hopefully, building a good home culture will help us carry through challenging matches,” Foster emphasized. 

Oyewole mentioned that at the start of each season, the Bears make statistical goals they want to hit for their hitting, serves, and more. While the team failed to reach some of their goals this past weekend, she hopes they can meet them this upcoming weekend. 

“I will keep in mind the losses that we had, but also go into this next weekend with a blank slate and show people what we can do,” Oyewole said.