Following the leave of absence he is taking this season, longtime Washington University volleyball head coach Rich Luenemann will not be returning to the team, Director of Athletics John Schael announced Wednesday. Luenemann, who joined Wash. U.

The Washington University women’s volleyball program won’t begin preparing for the upcoming season for about another four months. But in the next two weekends, Wash. U. will host two volleyball-related events—albeit ones that have entirely different focuses and objectives.

Between setting an NCAA record streak, nearly losing it and then rallying in dramatic fashion to continue the streak, Saturday was an eventful day for the Washington University volleyball team. The Bears began Saturday by winning their 58th straight set, breaking a Division III record established in 2007 by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The top ranked Washington University women’s volleyball team fell to arch-rival and No. 3 Emory University in the University Athletic Association Championships for the second consecutive year.

Despite seven new faces and three missing ones from last season’s national champion Washington University women’s volleyball team, the results on the court through one week hardly looked different from those of teams of years past.

The festivities kick off after the basketball doubleheader against Emory University concludes. At 3 p.m., the 2009 volleyball team will be presented with its championship rings and have its national championship banner unveiled.

Fresh off of his third national championship at Washington University, women’s volleyball head coach Rich Luenemann was named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year on Nov. 24. Luenemann won the award twice before, after the 2003 and 2007 national titles.

Although the University Athletic Association conference competition is slated to begin next weekend, the Washington University women’s volleyball team is surely glad to have the toughest stretch of its schedule behind them.

As the Washington University women’s volleyball team moves through the year, much talk surrounds its upcoming season.

In the Sixth Annual Teri Clemens Invitational at the Field House, the Bears won the tournament by taking down three nationally ranked teams—two of which entered the weekend in the top six.

Going up against four of the nation’s premier teams, the Washington University women’s volleyball team stood their ground.