Junior hitters Zoe Foster (20) and Jasmine Sells (16) helped lead WashU to a pair of upset wins on Friday. (Photo courtesy: WashU Athletics)
| Game 1 – Sept. 8, 2023 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #7 Johns Hopkins | 25 | 21 | 16 | 20 | (1) |
| #14 WashU | 17 | 25 | 25 | 25 | (3) |
| Game 2 – Sept. 8, 2023 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #14 WashU | 25 | 16 | 22 | 25 | 15 | (3) |
| #2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | 21 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 12 | (2) |
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
CLAREMONT, CA — In the opening day of the East-to-West Battle, the No. 14-ranked Washington University women’s volleyball team picked up two supremely impressive wins in back-to-back matches.
First, the Bears defeated No. 7 Johns Hopkins University in four sets (17-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-20), then topped event host and No. 2-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripts in a five set thriller (25-21, 16-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-12). After the two Top 10 victories, WashU’s record is 5-1.
In the opening match, WashU held the statistical advantage in blocks (7-5), while Johns Hopkins led in kills (56-51) and assists (55-47).
Junior Jasmine Sells led all Bears with 16 kills as she posted a staggering .538 hitting percentage. Sells completed her fourth double-double of the young season with 10 digs. Additionally, freshman Leah Oyewole notched 11 kills, while junior Zoe Foster added eight kills.
Sophomore Sam Buckley dished out a team-high 33 assists in the four-set victory.
On the defensive side of the ball, junior Elise Gilroy earned 10 digs.
Johns Hopkins controlled the first set, but the Bears dominated the final three to take the win.
The Bears held the early 9-6 advantage in the second set. A kill from Buckley, Oyewole, and senior Paris Nix pushed the advantage to 12-8. Nix’s kill warranted a timeout from the Blue Jay sideline, with WashU out in front by four. However, the timeout did little slow down WashU’s attack as the Bears tallied the next two points to take the 14-8 lead.
Johns Hopkins fought back to within one, 22-21, but WashU would not relinquish the lead. A Johns Hopkins set error, a Sells kill, and a junior Elise Gilroy ace tied the match at one set apiece as WashU claimed the second set by a final score of 25-21.
WashU carried its momentum from the second set into the third by producing a 12-6 cushion. A Johns Hopkins attack error ended the third set with the Bears earning the convincing 25-16 set three victory.
In the fourth, with Johns Hopkins clinging to a one-point, 11-10, lead, WashU rattled off three straight points to grab the 13-11 advantage. From that point on, Johns Hopkins never retook the lead. A first-year Ellie Laird ace ended the fourth set, and the match, as the Bears took down the No. 7 team in the nation by a score of 25-20.
In the nightcap against CMS, WashU trailed two sets to one, but rallied back to win the final two set to take the match.
Offensively, four Bears reached double-digit kill totals with Sells (23), junior Lucy Davis (15), Oyewole (12), and Foster (10). In the process, Oyewole set a new career-high in kills.
As a team, WashU earned a .315 hitting percentage for the match.
Buckley notched her fourth double-double of the year as she welcomed 52 assists and 12 digs. Sells completed her fifth double-double with a team-high 18 digs.
The opening frame saw the set tied at 10-10. Foster delivered a trio of kills in the first 10 points for WashU. The Bears then went on a timely four-point run to warrant a timeout from the Athenas, with the Bears leading 14-10. During the run, WashU benefited from three straight CMS attack errors. A CMS kill ended the run at six as WashU held the 16-11 advantage.
However, the Athenas battled back to knot the score at 17 all. After a back-and-forth ending to the first set, WashU clung to a 23-21 advantage. Davis hammered home a kill to give the Bears two set points with the score sitting at 24-21. Davis then recorded another kill to end the first set by a final tally of 25-21.
With the Bears out in front one set to none, the Athenas raced out to a quick 5-0 lead as head coach Vanessa Walby called a timeout. CMS padded their cushion to 13-4 with a four-point scoring run. WashU could not come back from the early deficit as CMS took set two, 25-16.
In the third set, the Athenas grabbed a 14-6 lead. However, WashU was able to make things interesting down the stretch. Back-to-back kills from senior Lily Steinbach and Sells cut the deficit to 23-21, in favor of CMS, as the home team called a timeout. In the end, the Athenas closed the set, 25-22, on a kill to take the two sets to one advantage.
After seeing a 12-6 disadvantage, WashU rallied in the fourth to tie the set at 16-16. Sells registered a kill to put the Bears in front, 17-16. The kill gave WashU its first lead of set as the CMS coach signaled to the down referee for a timeout. Once play resumed, WashU tallied two points on an attack error and a kill to give the Bears a 19-16 advantage. However, the No. 2 Athenas battled back to knot the score at 19-19.
WashU generated a 21-20 lead and never looked back. Oyewole welcomed a dump kill to send the highly anticipated match to a fifth and decisive set with the Bears taking the fourth set, 25-22.
The nail-biting action ensued in the fifth. WashU secured the early 8-5 as CMS used a timeout. Back-to-back WashU miscues pushed the score to 10-9, in favor of the Bears. After a WashU timeout, Davis found her stride by depositing three straight kills to give the Bears a 14-12 lead. After another timeout, this time by CMS, Buckley earned her 52nd assist of the match as Davis secured her 15th kill to push WashU past the No. 2 Athenas with a fifth set score of 15-12.
The Bears will close out play in the East-to-West Battle on Saturday, with a match against California Lutheran University. First serve is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. local time.
2023 WashU Bears Women’s Volleyball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 9, 2023 (Saturday) | 9:30 a.m. | Neutral | California Lutheran | Claremont, Calif. |
| September 13, 2023 (Wednesday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Webster | St. Louis, Mo./Grant Gymnasium |
| September 15, 2023 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Neutral | Saint Benedict | Whitewater, Wis. |
| September 16, 2023 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Neutral | Transylvania | Whitewater, Wis. |
| September 16, 2023 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | UW-Whitewater | Whitewater, Wis. |
| September 19, 2023 (Tuesday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Greenville | WashU Field House |
| 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 | New York | 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 | 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 | UW-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. |