The WashU Bears beat North Park in straight sets Friday night. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Volleyball – Oct. 6, 2023 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #12 WashU (12-5) | 27 | 25 | 25 | (3) |
| #20 North Park (15-2) | 25 | 15 | 20 | (0) |
Nora Nichols
Staff Writer
CHICAGO, IL — In a highly anticipated battle of top 20 nationally-ranked teams, the No. 12 Washington University Bears made quick work of No. 20 North Park Vikings, 27-25, 25-15, 25-20, in a three sets to none straight set win at the North Park Gymnasium.
The win was WashU’s second straight and fifth in its last six matches, while the loss was just North Park’s second of the season and snapped the Vikings’ 12-match winning streak.
Freshman hitter Leah Oyewole was the star of the match. She posted a match-high 11 kills. Teammates Jasmine Sells, Lucy Davis, and Zoe Foster — all juniors for WashU — also stood out.
Sells had nine kills, Davis had six, and Foster had six kills as well, along with a service ace and a block. Sophomore setter Sam Buckley had 34 assists, while junior defensive specialist Elise Gilroy had 15 digs.
As a team, the Bears dominated in nearly every statistical category. They led the Vikings in kills (39-36), aces (6-3), assists (37-36), digs (60-56), and attack percentage (.235-.137).
The match began as a back and forth contest, before North Park went on a 10-3 run midway through the first set to go up 17-13. WashU rallied, but the Vikings were able to maintain their lead and even had a set point at 25-24. But the Bears responded with a 3-0 run of their own, on kills by Oyewole, Foster, and Davis respectively, to claim the set 27-25.
The second and third sets were completely dominated by the Bears, who jumped out to a 20-9 lead in the second, before winning 25-15, then jumped out to a 10-5 edge in the third, and managed to hold that five-point edge for the rest of the match.
The victory raised WashU’s season record to 12-5, while North Park fell to 15-2.
The Bears will remain in the Windy City the rest of the weekend, where they will compete in the UAA Round Robin #2, which will be hosted by the University of Chicago.
WashU will play Chicago and Carnegie-Mellon on Sunday, October 8. The match against Chicago is scheduled for noon, with the match against Carnegie-Mellon University set for 2 p.m.
2023 WashU Bears Women’s Volleyball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 8, 2023 (Sunday) | 12 p.m. | Away | U. of Chicago | Chicago, Ill. |
| October 8, 2023 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Neutral | Carnegie Mellon | Chicago, Ill. |
| October 13, 2023 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Home | DePauw | WashU Field House |
| October 13, 2023 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | WashU Field House |
| October 14, 2023 (Saturday) | 10:30 a.m. | Home | Simpson | WashU Field House |
| October 14, 2023 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Home | Illinois Wesleyan | WashU Field House |
| October 22, 2023 (Sunday) | 9 a.m. | Neutral | Rochester | Waltham, Mass. |
| October 22, 2023 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Neutral | Emory | Waltham, Mass. |
| October 26, 2023 (Thursday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Webster | WashU Field House |
| November 1, 2023 (Wednesday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Westminster | Fulton, Mo. |
| November 4, 2023 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Neutral | Hendrix | Decatur, Ill. |
| November 4, 2023 (Saturday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Millikin | Decatur, Ill. |
| November 10-12, 2023 | TBA | Neutral | UAA Championships | Atlanta, Ga. |