Middle Blocker Lily Steinbach defends against a La Verne attack (Dania Backal | Student Life)

The Bears started the weekend with a hotly contested 3-1 victory over No. 15 Gustavus Adolphus. After losing the first set, the Bears bounced back to claim each of the next three and ultimately the victory. Each game went to 20 points, none with a margin of victory over five, with WashU narrowly winning the second set 30-28. Senior outside hitter Lucy Davis gave WashU a narrow one-point lead late with a clutch kill followed by a Gustavus Adolphus error that let the Bears pull through.

“I think we try to stay calm in situations like those,” head coach Vanessa Walby wrote in a statement to Student Life. “We really focus on fundamentals and reminders of what is working during those scenarios…but most importantly we try to work together as a group and trust we will all do our jobs to the best of our abilities.” 

The Bears showed poise throughout the match with a string of timely shots to take each of the next two sets. Senior outside hitter Jasmine Sells once again came through for the Bears with a season-high 22 kills and her first 20 kills, 20 digs match of her collegiate career. 

Junior setter Sam Buckley, who was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Player of the Week, logged 53 assists in the win over Gustavus Adolphus. Her role as a setter is crucial to the success of other players like Sells. 

“Sam and I have always been close. I think this year especially we have a lot of trust in each other, which has helped with our connection on and off the court,” Sells wrote to Student Life. “All of our hitters work really hard with our setters to connect, which is particularly important for our middles who run a faster tempo.”

WashU’s second match of the weekend was against powerhouse University of La Verne. WashU’s offensive output was too much for La Verne. Five members of the WashU lineup had eight or more kills while the entire lineup only had two errors, which led to an efficient and deadly attack that kept the opposing team on their toes. 

The onslaught was led by outside hitters Sells and Davis. Although the score may have said it was three sets to none, the games turned out to be much closer than that. After a 25-16 victory in the first set where the Bears only trailed for the first point, the second set was much closer. In a back-and-forth battle, the teams traded runs until the score was 26-26. From there, WashU pulled away to win on two costly errors by the Leopards.

The final set looked as if the Bears were losing steam, as they went down 19-14. However, the team then reeled off six straight points, including kills from Sells and senior Zoe Foster and more errors from La Verne. The game continued to go back and forth until the teams were tied 24-24. At this point, the Bears took matters into their own hands, as graduate student Lily Steinbach got two back-to-back kills to end the match.

The Bear Invite came to a close against Cornell College, and the Bears were looking to finish the weekend with a third win. However, the game started off bleak for WashU with a first-set loss that was littered with 11 errors. 

In the second set, the team went down 9-3 early. WashU kept the game close with kills by Foster and sophomore Leah Oyewolel. Nearing the end of the set, the score was 24-22 in favor of the Rams. Facing a 2-0 deficit and all the momentum for the Rams, Sells and Buckley had other ideas. Back-to-back kills tied the score up 24-24, before two errors from the opposing team won the set for the Bears 26-24. This was the turning point for the squad, who won the third set in smooth fashion, never trailing and attacking the Rams from all sides of the court. 

Foster had two blocks early that set the tone for the squad, and seven different players had kills in the set. The Bears boast a well-rounded attack, which is enabled by the setters’ ability to spread the ball around.

“Particularly when we pass well, we are able to utilize all of our hitters,” Sells wrote. “Having every hitter involved makes our offense unpredictable, which allows us to capitalize on offensive opportunities.”

The final set was another back-and-forth battle, with errors on both sides of the court keeping the game close. Eventually, WashU capitalized, turning a 17-14 deficit into a 17-19 lead. The Bears never relinquished the lead from there, ending the fourth set just like the second one: two straight errors from the Rams.

WashU won the match 3-1 and ended the invitational with a sweep, a true testament to the potential of this team. Being tested twice against ranked teams was nothing for the likes of the Bears, who have now won 11 games in a row. According to Sells, the team’s depth and mindset have been crucial to the strong start.

“I think our team is doing well because we are utilizing our depth in every position, and playing to win instead of playing not to lose,” she wrote.

The Bears will hope this play and execution continues as they gear up to finally start divisional play against tough University Athletic Association opponents. Before they start conference play, they will have one more match, against Webster University at home on Wednesday, Sept. 25.