First-year Nia Jones goes for a kill in an early-season matchup against Greenville. (Tamiah Woodfork | Contributing Photographer)

The No. 10  WashU volleyball team travelled to Atlanta, Georgia to compete in the first University Athletic Association Round Robin of 2025 on Sept. 27 and 28. With their performance, they claimed the No. 2 spots in total kills and assists in the UAA, tallying 638 and 603 respectively across the weekend. Additionally, they secured the top conference ranking in opponent blocks, with the Bears’ hits being blocked only 74.5 times. 

With these numbers, the Bears were the standout team of the weekend, showing their grit, determination and resilience. In the three games they played against New York University (NYU), University of Rochester, and The University of Chicago, they were able to convert pressure into persistence, becoming a team to watch as conference play continues. 

NYU, 3-2 (26-24, 14-25, 25-22, 26-28, 15-11)

WashU started off the weekend with a hard-fought five-set victory against NYU.

The first set was a tight race to 25. The score remained close the entire way — after WashU went on a 5-0 stretch, NYU answered with their own 5-1 run. Tied at 24, the Bears scored the last two points to win the set.

After dropping the second set 14-25, the Bears came out strong in the third, taking an early 8-2 lead. Despite two late runs by NYU to narrow the gap, WashU hung on to the lead, winning 24-22.

The fourth set featured more close competition. The Bears fought hard, managing to spoil three NYU set points before eventually losing 28-26.

Finally, the Bears came back from an early deficit to win the final set 15-11. They sealed their victory with an explosive 4-0 run to end the match.

The Bears were led by senior setter Sam Buckley’s 49 assists and senior hitter Anna Freeman’s 16 kills. Junior libero Ellie Laird also put up an outstanding defensive performance with 22 digs.

“Ellie has done a great job stepping into the libero role,” head coach Vanessa Walby wrote in a statement to Student Life. “She’s super quick on defense and is reading the game really well. Her match against NYU was also one of her best serve receive performances yet.”

Rochester, 3-0 (25-21, 25-12, 25-16)

At first, WashU’s second match of the day against Rochester seemed like it would be another tight game. However, the Bears stayed in control the entire match, which they would eventually take 3-0.

Despite a close start to the first set, WashU eventually pulled away to a 14-9 lead. Laird continued her strong performance with two key digs to turn the momentum in the Bears’ favor during this stretch. After that, WashU never trailed, and despite a late 5-0 run from Rochester, the Bears went on to win the set 25-21.

WashU dominated in the second and third sets, winning 25-12 and 25-16, respectively. 

In the second, the Bears exploded to a commanding lead thanks to an 8-0 run. The third was more of the same, with WashU taking an early 4-0 lead and continuing to dominate from there.

Walby cited the Bears’ consistent play — both offensive and defensive — as the key to their victory.

“Two things that really stood out for us all weekend were our serve receive and our attacking,” she said. “Those two go hand in hand, and our players did a great job keeping a high standard in both. That consistency really helped us play steady and find success.”

On the attack, junior hitter Leah Oyewole led the Bears with 11 kills, while Laird continued her strong performance with 12 kills. Freeman contributed across the board with 3 aces, 9 kills, and 7 digs.

Their strong play allowed the Bears to secure a must-win victory against Rochester, the lowest-ranked UAA team headed into Saturday’s play.

UChicago, 2-3 (25-18, 21-25, 18-25, 25-19, 12-15)

In the first set against UChicago, WashU executed dynamic plays, finishing with kills from first-year blocker Nia Jones, junior hitter Naya Ohuabunwa, Freeman, and Buckley to secure five of the six last points in the set. 

Throughout the second set, the Bears and Maroons slowly crawled to the 25 point finish line, tying at 14-14 and 20-20, with the Maroons ultimately pulling ahead with a series of kills and aces, securing the set with a 25-21 win. 

In the third set, Chicago maintained momentum, securing a 25-18 win against the Bears. 

In the fourth set, WashU fought hard to stay alive. After securing a 16-9 lead, they left Chicago in the dust as Nia Jones secured the set winning kill, capping the set off at 25-19. 

In a thrilling fifth set, WashU and UChicago climbed point by point throughout the match. UChicago ultimately broke away with a 15-12 final set. 

This however, was not a total loss for WashU. 

“I especially loved seeing so many of the skills we worked on during the week carry over into the match. For me, that’s always a win,” Walby said when reflecting on the match. 

The Bears led in kills (73–65), blocks (8–5), and assists (70–64). Freeman and Oyewole posted 22 kills apiece, with senior blocker Eva Boling adding 10. Buckley tallied her fifth double-double, double-digit assists and digs, with 61 assists and 12 digs. 

Looking ahead to the upcoming games in the Papa John’s Invite, Walby believes that the team “will take lessons from this loss and continue to grow together” as they head into the second half of their season.