From Washington University Athletics
All five attackers for the No. 1-ranked Washington University in St. Louis volleyball team recorded at least seven kills as the Bears earned a 25-18, 25-22, 25-19 win over Greenville College Wednesday night at the WU Field House.
The Bears hit .412 as a team (17-3-34) on their way to the first-set win. Greenville grabbed the early lead in the set, but an ace by junior Rexi Sheredy and a kill by senior Jackie Nelligan gave WashU a 14-12 lead. The Bears stretched their lead to 19-15 on three straight kills by seniorNkiru Udenze, junior Caroline Dupont and Sheredy, before the Panthers rallied to within 20-18. Sheredy got a roll shot to drop in for a kill to stop Greenville's rally. A block by Nelligan and junior Amanda Palucki, followed by back-to-back kills by Nelligan gave the Bears set-point, and an attacking error by Greenville capped the 5-0 run for WashU to finish the set.
The teams played back-and-forth to start the second set, before Dupont tipped for a kill then came up with a solo block to give WashU a 15-12 advantage. A kill from the back row by Udenze made it 17-15 in favor of the Bears, but Greenville went on a 5-0 run to take a 20-17 lead. The Bears pulled to within 21-20 on an ace by Sheredy, before the Panthers answered with a kill to make it 22-20. Nelligan tipped a kill over the block, then stepped back to serve the final four points of the set as the Bears rallied for the 25-22 win. WashU tallied three of its five second-set blocks in the final four points, including solo stops by Dupont and Palucki.
Greenville again took the early lead in set three, gaining a 17-14 edge. Nelligan got four straight kills as part of a 6-0 run that gave the Bears a 20-17 lead. A block by the Panthers brought them to within 21-19, but a kill by Palucki sparked a 4-0 run for WashU and back-to-back kills by Dupont and Nelligan ended the match.
WashU hit .321 in the match (47-12-109), while Greenville finished with .120 (26-14-100) attacking. Nelligan finished with a team-high 15 kills while hitting .500 (15-3-24). Dupont, Sheredy and Udenze recorded eight kills each, while Palucki finished with seven. Udenze led the Bears defensively with 12 digs, while sophomore Lauren Fournier tallied 11 and Sheredy added 10. Senior Allison Zastrow posted 38 assists and nine digs.
WashU improved to 18-1 overall with the win, while Greenville had its 11-match win streak snapped and dropped to 12-6. The Bears return to action with four matches at the North Central College Tiffany Robinson Memorial Tournament Friday-Saturday in Naperville, Ill. WashU takes on No. 11 Carthage College and Loras College at 6 and 8 p.m., respectively, Friday. The Bears then face Saint Mary's University of Minnesota at 11 a.m. Saturday before finishing the tournament with a 3 p.m. match against Coe College.
Bear Notebook: WashU leads the all-time series against Greenville 15-12 … The Bears also swept the Panthers Sept. 2 at Greenville … WashU improved to 479-51 all-time at home, including an 11-0 mark this season … Nelligan had three blocks to bring her career total to 374, passing Erin Albers (2006-09) for ninth on WashU's all-time career leaderboard … It was the 15th time this season and fifth match in a row that Dupont has hit .400 or better.