WashU volleyball expanded their win streak to eight straight games with five wins this week. (Sam Powers | Student Life)

It was a week to remember for the No. 14 Washington University volleyball team as they went 5-0, improving to an eight-game win streak and a 9-2 overall record.

The week started with a relatively quiet game at Fontbonne University on Sept. 11, where the Bears won 3-0. The Bears were tested in two back-to-back close sets that WashU  clinched 25-22 each time.

“I would say we have done really well playing together as a team,” senior middle blocker Zoe Foster wrote in a statement to Student Life. “We have great team chemistry, and it shows on the court in those close sets.”

The Bears led the Griffins in points, kills, blocks, assists, and digs. Junior setter Sam Buckley led all players in assists, a feat she remarkably replicated each match for the entire week. 

“She is our setter and has done an amazing job running our offense,” Foster wrote. 

Buckley setting up the rest of the team allowed WashU to spread out the ball, with 15 different players recording a point against the Griffins. 

“One of the reasons I think we are hard to defend is that we have a lot of offensive options,” head coach Vanessa Walby wrote to Student Life. “Sam can distribute the ball to anyone, and she has confidence they will take care of it and find a way to score.”

The match against Fontbonne allowed WashU to tune up for the Loras invitational in Iowa, where they faced a grueling four-match slate in just two days. The Bears weren’t fazed, sweeping the weekend with four wins. 

WashU cruised in the first match of the invitational against the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, until a back-and-forth third set went up until the 30th point. WashU managed to eke out the win following a kill by senior outside hitter Jasmine Sells and a Falcon hitting error to end the match 30-28.

“I think our team is doing a good job of staying calm in pressure situations,” Sells wrote to Student Life. “We talk a lot about learning from our past performances. We had a couple of disappointing losses in our first tournament, and since then, [we’ve] focused on having a predator mentality.”

The second match against Loras College was the Bears’ closest match in weeks, with WashU squeaking by with a 3-2 win.

“I think they are trusting the process and each other,” Walby wrote. “They seem to go back to fundamentals and discipline in those moments, and they seem to calm [themselves] and get things done.”

Once again, Buckley shined with a game-high 49 assists, with Sells again closing out the decisive final set with two kills. The Bears would not be challenged this hard again, besting St. Norbert College 3-1 and Wisconsin Lutheran College 3-0 to cap off what is now an eight-game win streak.

“Win streaks are always fun,” Foster wrote. “But the most important thing is to remain consistent with our effort and mindset as the season goes on.” 

This momentum is well-needed for the Bears to keep up in the incredibly tight University Athletic Association (UAA), which includes two teams ranked in the national Top 5. With only two weeks away from divisional play, the Bears are going to need every victory they can get.

WashU looks to continue the good vibes Friday, Sept. 20 at home against Gustavus Adolphus College, one of three teams that they’ll play during the Bear Invite, a tournament hosted by WashU.