Senior McKenzie Washington spikes the ball in a win over Brandeis. (Ash Eadala | Student Life)

In the University Athletic Association (UAA), the volleyball regular season is centered around three key weekends. These round-robins take place in September and October, as all eight teams travel to the same school and play two or three division opponents. Last weekend, the No. 8 Bears ventured to New York, where they struggled against elite UAA competition, dropping close matches to ranked Emory University and Case Western Reserve University before defeating the University of Rochester. 

This weekend, however, it was a different story. Playing at home, and making their return to the WashU Field House after a pipe burst forced the team to play matches on the Sumers Recreation Center and Varsity Gym courts, the Bears were able to flip the script, defeating Brandeis University and No. 23 New York University on Sunday, Oct. 13, both in four sets. 

The two wins came after a midweek matchup versus Westminster College (MO), where the Bears also secured a 3-1 victory. The three wins bring the Bears to a perfect 11-0 at home, a strong 18-4 on the season, and a 3-2 record in UAA play, putting them on a clear trajectory for a playoff berth.

“I think the team did a good job of sticking together and having a short memory on our errors,” head coach Vanessa Walby wrote in a statement to Student Life. “We tried to learn quick from our mistakes and compete hard together as a group.”

The next-play mentality was evident early on Sunday, as the Bears were able to respond to an early Brandeis lead in the first set. In a back-and-forth battle that featured 12 ties, the two squads were knotted at 18 before WashU pulled off a dominant run, led by key kills from senior Jasmine Sells and junior Sam Buckley, to cap off a 25-18 victory. The Bears were more dominant throughout the second set, securing a 25-17 win.

WashU could not pull off a win in straight sets, as the Judges battled back from 18-14 and 23-21 deficits in the third set to win 25-23. The Bears made eight errors in the third set, compared to three total in the rest of the match. However, WashU was able to bounce back and win the match after a wire-to-wire 25-15 victory in the fourth set. Sells led the Bears with 18 kills, in one of her stronger statistical performances of the season.

Throughout the weekend, home-field advantage was a big factor for the Bears. 

“Being in a familiar place you practice in every day, sleeping in your own bed, staying in routine and playing in front of our home fans is always the best atmosphere,” Walby wrote.

The Bears got off to a bumpy start in their Sunday afternoon matchup versus NYU, falling behind 9-2 in the first set. However, they were able to fight back to pull off a tight 25-23 win. In the second set, the Bears were again strong, led by three consecutive kills by senior Lucy Davis, two big blocks from senior middle blocker Zoe Foster, and the dominant play of Sells and Buckley, winning 25-17.

Again, the third set proved troublesome, as the Bears fell 25-16 after winning several consecutive points. But they were again able to come back and secure the match-clinching 25-23 victory in the following game, led by four more kills from Foster.

The back-and-forth win over NYU was the team’s fourth over a nationally-ranked opponent. However, Walby says the team’s preparation doesn’t change, even against ranked foes. 

“We try to treat every opponent the same and work to improve and learn in every set we play,” she wrote. 

The Bears will look to continue their win streak against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Wednesday, Oct. 16 and will host the WashU Tri on Saturday, Oct. 19, facing off against North Park University and the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. They will travel to Pittsburgh the following weekend for the final UAA round-robin, playing the University of Chicago and Carnegie Mellon University.