Sam Buckley was named UAA Player of the Year at the 2024 UAA Championships on Nov. 15-16. (Sam Powers | Junior Photo Editor)

The No. 11 WashU volleyball team dominated the opening day of the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship on Friday, Nov. 15, defeating New York University and No. 16 Case Western Reserve University in single-elimination matchups. These victories propelled the Bears into Saturday’s championship game against No. 6 Emory University, where they fell 3-0.

On Monday, Nov. 18, the NCAA revealed that WashU would face the College of Saint Benedict from Minnesota in the first round of regionals, set for Thursday, Nov. 21, at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

In the first UAA tournament match, WashU outlasted a tough NYU team they had split its last four matchups with since 2021. The Bears emerged victorious in a hard-fought 3-1 win.

WashU set the tone early in the first set, jumping to an 11-6 lead. NYU briefly pulled ahead, 14-13, but the Bears fought back. Senior Zoe Foster delivered a commanding kill at 24-23 to clinch the set, 25-23. Foster powered WashU with a standout performance, leading the team in kills, aces, and blocks, and posting a season-high 20 kills.

NYU answered in the second set, edging out WashU in a back-and-forth battle that ended on the Bears’ error. Undeterred, WashU surged in the third set behind senior Jasmine Sells, sophomore Leah Oyewole, and Foster. Junior Sam Buckley orchestrated the offense, tallying 50 assists to drive the Bears’ attack.

“All season, we have had a well-distributed offense, which we continued this match,” Sells wrote to Student Life. “We passed well as a team, allowing our setter Sam to isolate our hitters, which contributed to my performance in this match.”

In the fourth set, WashU maintained control despite four straight errors that tightened the score to 22-20. The Bears held their ground and closed out the match with a 25-22 win.

In its second game, WashU took on Case Western, the tournament’s second seed, who had beaten them 3-2 earlier in the season. Playing immediately after the NYU match, the Bears came out strong, opening the first set with a dominant 9-1 run. Four players notched kills during a seven-point stretch, and WashU secured the set 25-21.

After dropping the second set, WashU capitalized on 12 Spartan errors in the third to regain momentum. In the fourth set, the teams battled to an 18-18 tie, but the Bears stepped up. Graduate student Lily Steinbach delivered the decisive block to seal the 27-25 victory. Buckley added another 51 assists, bringing her tournament total to 101, while Foster recorded six blocks in the match.

“Our defense played well, and we blocked effectively in both matches,” head coach Vanessa Walby said. “The team showed grit and came together to deliver two strong performances.”

On Saturday afternoon, the Bears faced off against Emory for the UAA Championship. This was their toughest opponent, as the Eagles are ranked first in the UAA and No. 6 in the nation. Historically, the Bears are 14-20 against the Eagles, the only UAA team which they have a losing record against.

The winner of this title-deciding contest wins an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Championships, while the other team would await its seeding via an at-large bid. With the rest of the UAA playing field already completed, the two heavyweights were ready to square off.

The first set of the match started off tight, with the two teams trading points before the Bears took a 7-4 lead. Multiple kills from Steinbach, Foster, Oyewole, and Sells propelled the team’s initiative throughout the afternoon. However, neither team’s lead lasted for long, as the Bears kept fighting for each point until they grabbed a 23-22 lead following a service error from the Eagles. Looking to see out the first set, though, the Bears then gave up three consecutive points from two Emory kills and one WashU attacking error, losing the set 23-25. 

Fighting back, the Bears started the second set jumping out to 3-1, 7-5, and 10-8 leads, but they were never able to extend their lead beyond a two-point margin. The middle of the set did not go to plan as the Eagles grabbed four straight points, followed by a run of three more immediately after to lead 20-16. Down four, the Bears then traded points back and forth but were never able to cut into the lead, dropping the second set 21-25.  

Facing a 2-0 deficit, the Bears were tasked with a must-win third set. Trailing 13-10 against the Eagles, the Bears won six straight points to then take a 16-13 lead. However, the Eagles rallied to win four straight, and they eventually won the final two points of the set on two kills to claim the UAA Championship 3-0.

Despite the loss, Walby remained proud of the performance of the team.

“I actually don’t know if we struggled with anything. I think we had some errors at crucial times, but it was a tough match,” she said.

Sells added that the loss to Emory “allowed us to see the skills we need to fine-tune heading into the NCAA tournament.”

With their overall weekend performance, the Bears clinched second place in the UAA and finished their regular season with a record of 28-6. 

In addition, several WashU players received All-UAA recognition. Buckley won UAA Player of the Year and First Team All-Association honors, and Steinbach was also recognized on the First Team. Foster, Sells, and Oyewole earned Second Team All-Association honors, and senior Elise Gilroy was named an honorable mention.   

With the regular season over, Walby reflected on the team’s growth. 

“I really think we are playing our best volleyball right now which is exciting going into postseason,” she said. “I think, throughout the year, our serve-receive has grown, and our defense and blocking has grown quite a bit … blocking and defense were two areas that we started focusing on last spring, and we saw that growth throughout the season so far.” 

Now, the Bears turn their attention to the NCAA tournament and a matchup against Saint Benedict, who WashU lost to last season.

“I think it’s important for us to just take one match at a time. Every opponent in our regional is really good. I’ve seen them all play in years past, and I know all the coaches in our regional prepare their teams really well,” Walby said. “So, I think for us, it’s just being in our own little bubble and staying ‘WashU’ throughout.”

The Bears will look to claim their 11th national championship and first since 2009, with their postseason journey starting this Thursday, Nov. 21, at 2:00 p.m.

“We are hungry for our wins and motivated going into our first match against Saint Benedict,” Sells wrote. “We remember losing to them last year at the same venue we will be playing them Thursday, and are excited for the chance to change our history with this team.”

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Nov. 19 at 9:42 p.m., and was updated to include quotes from Jasmine Sells on Nov. 21 at 2:59 p.m.