WashU’s McKenzie Washington serves a point during Thursday’s three set win over rival Webster. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Women’s Volleyball | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webster (13-12) | 5 | 16 | 17 | (0) |
| #12 WashU (19-7) | 25 | 25 | 25 | (3) |
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
CLAYTON, MO — The No. 12-ranked Washington University women’s volleyball team picked up a three set win over rival Webster University, Thursday night at the WashU Field House.
But that wasn’t the big story of the night.
The big story was the victory earned head coach Vanessa Walby the 400th win of her coaching career.
Walby picked up 163 wins in six seasons at the University of Chicago before coming to WashU in 2014. And in what is now her 10th season with the Bears, Walby earned her 237 win as Bears coach, thanks to a 25-5, 25-16, 25-17 win over the Gorloks.
In her 16 seasons as a college volleyball coach, Walby now has a career record of 400-140 (.741 winning percentage), with five 30+ win seasons, 11 trips to the NCAA Division III National Tournament, and a trip to the national championship game in 2016.
On Thursday, balanced offense was the key for WashU. The Bears had 12 players register at least one kill, led by Laura Brambrilla, McKenzie Washington, and Paris Nix, who each had six kills.
First year Mallory Dills recorded her first collegiate assists and digs, first year Megan Manaj notched her first collegiate kill, while first year Naya Ohuabunwa saw her first collegiate set played. Sophomore Sam Buckley dished out a match-high 25 assists in the straight set sweep and completed her 14th double-double of the season with 11 digs.
Defensively, junior Elise Gilroy earned a team-high 12 digs.
WashU held the statistical advantage in a majority of the categories, including kills (42-20), aces (6-1), blocks (4-3), assists (38-18), and attack percentage (.278-.020).
In the opening set, the Bears raced out to the early 5-0 advantage on kills by Sells, Washington, and first year Leah Oyewole. With WashU ahead by a pair, 7-5, the Bears did not allow the Gorloks to tally another point. WashU went on a set-ending 18-point run to grab the first set by a final score of 25-5. First-year Ellie Laird was on the service line for all 18 Bears points. Nix torched back-to-back kills to end the opening frame.
Just like the first set, WashU jumped out to the 5-0 second set cushion. The Bears later went on a five-point run to expand the advantage to 12, 14-2. The run featured kills by sophomore Eva Boling, Davis, and Brambilla. With a comfortable six-point, 20-14 lead, the Bears put the set out of reach by notching four-straight tallied to give WashU a 24-14 advantage. A Gorlok attack error pushed the Bears to the 25-16 second set victory.
Looking for a sweep, WashU utilized an early six-point run to secure the 8-3 cushion. As the third set progressed, Webster trimmed WashU’s advantage to 21-16. A first year Clair Redmon kill, followed by two straight Gorlok miscues gave the Bears the commanding, 24-16, advantage. Manaj dialed up the match-ending kill to seal Walby’s 400th career victory, 25-17.
The Bears will next travel to Fulton, Mo. to square off with Westminster College, on Wednesday, November 1. First serve from Westminster Historic Gymnasium 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |