Junior hitter Lucy Davis goes up for a kill in WashU’s home match against Greenville, Tuesday night. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Volleyball – Sept. 19, 2023 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville (5-7) | 16 | 21 | 25 | 17 |
| #12 WashU (8-4) | 25 | 25 | 17 | 25 |
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
CLAYTON, MO — In a balanced effort, the No. 12 Washington University women’s volleyball team defeated Greenville University in three sets to one, Tuesday night at the WashU Field House. In total, nine Bears tallied at least one kill to push the home team past Greenville (25-16, 25-21, 17-25, 25-17).
With the victory, WashU’s season record is now 8-4, while Greenville’s record dropped to 5-7.
WashU welcomed the statistical advantage in kills (52-42), blocks (10-5), assists (47-41), and digs (78-70).
Sophomore Sam Buckley garnered her eighth double-double of the season. Buckley totaled 35 assists and 18 digs in the four-set victory.
Junior Jasmine Sells, senior Lily Steinbach, and first-year Leah Oyewole all tied for the team lead in kills with nine.
Sells saw a season-high of five rejections, while Steinbach and junior Lucy Davis recorded four and three blocks, respectively.
Junior Elise Gilroy notched a team-high 21 digs with first-year Ellie Laird earning 13 digs.
In the opening set, WashU held the 8-4 advantage. In the first eight Bear points, WashU saw kills from Sells, Oyewole, Steinbach, and junior Zoe Foster. Later in the frame, Davis deposited a thunderous kill to open a 16-8 cushion. With WashU up late, 24-13, GU assembled a three-point run to cut into the Bear lead, 24-16. However, Sells ended the first set on a well-placed kill to take the set by a final score of 25-16.
In the second, the Bears doubled-up Greenville as the score stood at 14-7. The Panthers went on a four-point run to cut the deficit to 18-15. After the run, WashU’s powerful offense answered right back with a three-point run to grab the 21-15 advantage. With the Bears at set point, Davis manufactured the set ending kill to push WashU past GU, 25-21.
The Panthers put together several runs in the third to race out to a 17-10 lead. The Bears attempted a comeback, but GU took the third by a score of 25-17.
The opening portion of the fourth saw back-and-forth action with the Bears clinging to an 8-6 lead. Later in the fourth, WashU welcomed a three-point run to open up a 15-9 cushion. The run featured a GU service error, a Laird ace, and a Davis kill. The Bears then garnered the 23-16 advantage late in the set. Back-to-back Steinbach kills gave WashU the four-set victory with a tally of 25-17.
WashU will be back in action this weekend, when it travels to Cleveland to play in the UAA Round Robin #1. The Bears will play Case Western Reserve and Brandeis on Saturday, and then take on No. 10-ranked New York University on Sunday. The event is the first of the UAA tournaments the Bears will play in this season.
WashU’s next home match will be on October 4, when the Bears will host Fontbonne. First serve at the WashU Field House that night is scheduled for 7 p.m.
WashU sports information contributed to this story.
2023 WashU Bears Women’s Volleyball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 23, 2023 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Away | Case Western Reserve | Cleveland, Ohio |
| September 23, 2023 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Neutral | Brandeis | Cleveland, Ohio |
| September 24, 2023 (Sunday) | 11 a.m. | Neutral | #10 NYU | Cleveland, Ohio |
| October 4, 2023 (Wednesday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Fontbonne | WashU Field House |
| October 6, 2023 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Away | North Park | Chicago, Ill. |
| 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. |