From Washington University Athletics
Washington University in St. Louis volleyball utilized a strong attack to overpower the University of Chicago Maroons, winning 3-1 during the University Athletic Association (UAA) third place match on Saturday morning.
The Bears improved to 22-10 overall on the season while Chicago dropped to 18-11. WashU combined for 63 kills as Caroline Dupont, Julianne Malek, Ifeoma Ufondu and Rexi Sheredy topped double figures in kills.
WashU 3 – Chicago 1 (25-18, 25-20, 20-25, 26-24)
During the first set of play WashU built an early 8-2 lead with Sheredy serving from the line. The the Bears lead increased to 20-11 on a kill from Malek. WashU took a 1-0 match lead on an attacking error from Chicago.
The second set was tied at 20-all before Sheredy put the Bears ahead with a kill. A block and kill from Dupont helped the Bears lead grow to three points before two straight errors by Chicago ended the second set, 25-20, in favor of WashU.
WashU evened the score at 12-12 before the Maroons went on a 9-4 run to take control of the third set. The Bears and Maroons traded single points back and forth to end the match 25-20 on Anne Marie Stifter's kill.
Chicago held a 7-2 advantage in the fourth set before the Bears started chipping away. WashU's score surpassed Chicago's by two points when Dupont's kill gave the Bears a 24-22 advantage. Chicago postponed the end of the match with two straight points evening the score at 24-all but Dupont and Ufondu ended the match with back-to-back kills.
Defensivley the Bears were led by Sheredy's 19 digs, as the San Jose, Calif.-native finished the day with her 10thdouble-double of the season. She also totaled 13 kills. Dupont finished the day with 16 kills to lead the Bears.
Freshman setter Chloe Stile accumulated 52 assists, reaching the 50 assists plateau for the third time this season. Dupont, Stile, Malek and senior Amanda Palucki each contributed on two block assists.