Women's Volleyball
Volleyball drops regional final in 5-set heartbreaker
Faced with a 13-12 deficit in the decisive fifth set, the Washington University volleyball team was on the wrong side of an unlucky bounce.
On an Emory University serve, the ball sailed into the top of the net and tipped over onto the Red and Green’s side, just beyond the reach of outstretched Bear arms. An Emory kill followed the service ace, giving the Eagles a berth in the NCAA quarterfinals and ending Wash. U.’s season.
Sophomore right-side hitter Amanda Palucki (left) and junior middle blocker Jackie Nelligan jump for a dual block against Emory University on Sunday. The Bears fell in five sets to their conference rival and were eliminated in the NCAA Division III tournament’s third round.
Despite greater playoff aspirations, the Bears say they are proud of their performance against the fifth-ranked team in the country.
“I think everyone gave 100 percent through all five games,” senior setter Lindsay Juriga said. “I think we played some of the best defense all season, being scrappy and just really going for everything.”
The first set and a half of the Sunday match saw both teams essentially trading points, with the Eagles barely eking out a first-set win. It was not until the Bears rode four straight Katagiri serves in the second set to build a 12-9 lead and force an Emory timeout that momentum started to tangibly shift. With a newfound offensive potency, the Bears put the Eagles on the defensive and evened out the match at one set apiece.
The second-set win was vital for Wash. U., not only because it prevented an elimination third set but also because it kept the Bears mentally competitive.
“I think that’s huge. I think that kind of shows what type of team we are, that if, you know, going down one doesn’t mean we’re going to stop fighting,” head coach Vanessa Walby said. “We’re going to be able to come back and make some good adjustments and just kind of battle with anybody.”
Washington University fans cheer on the women’s volleyball team as it plays Emory University in the NCAA third round. With a listed turnout of 582, Sunday’s game was the Bears’ highest-attended match of the season.
In the fourth set, the Wash. U. defense began to bear down. After letting the Eagles score almost at will in the third, the Bears held Emory to a .140 clip and pulled out a narrow set win. On the Bears’ third set-point opportunity, junior outside hitter Nkiru Udenze rose above the net for a kill, sending the match into the decisive fifth set and the Field House crowd into a frenzy.
The defense again came out strong in the fifth set—five different Bears recorded double-digit kills in the match—but it was not enough to mask the Bears’ own offensive struggles, as Wash. U. tallied more attack errors than kills. The set was tied at 12 points apiece before Emory scored on a kill and used the net cord to finish off the victory.
Leading the Bears statistically were junior Allison Zastrow, who finished one kill shy of a triple-double, and sophomore middle hitter Caroline Dupont, who tallied a team-high 15 kills en route to being named to the all-regional team.
Emotions ran equally high in Wash. U.’s second match of the tournament, a five-set thriller against Hendrix College. Wash. U. had handily defeated Hendrix in a three-set sweep on Nov. 1, but the postseason brought out a tighter match.
After the Bears won the first two sets, it seemed that a match victory and a trip to the regional finals were all but assured, but Hendrix fought back to even the match. With the momentum shifted and the Bears reeling, it looked like Wash. U. would face an early exit.
But the Bears bounced back in the final set to win 16-14 as junior middle hitter Jackie Nelligan and sophomore right-side hitter Amanda Palucki blocked a spike over the middle of the net to ice the victory for the Red and Green.
The first round of the NCAA tournament was Wash. U.’s lone contest free of drama. The Bears won their first match of the weekend with a 25-17, 25-15, 25-16 victory over Bluffton University on Friday as Wash. U.’s staunch defense held Bluffton to a .019 hitting percentage.
With the season now over, the Bears (35-6 record), and in particular seniors Juriga and defensive specialist Lauren Yung, are left to reflect on the year.
“It’s a great team, it’s a great program and I think one of the best parts is that we keep building every year and I’m extremely proud of this year,” Yung said. “I’m really excited to see where it goes.”