Posted: Sep 13, 2023
From Washington University Athletics
Behind a balanced offensive effort, the No. 7 Washington University in St. Louis volleyball team swept Webster University (25-12, 25-21, 25-22), in straight sets, Wednesday inside Grant Gymnasium.
In total, 12 Bears recorded at least one kill as WashU extended its win streak to four. With the win, WashU's record upped to 7-1, while Webster's record slid to 2-5.
The Bears welcomed the statistical advantage in kills (41-24), aces (7-3), assists (37-24), and hitting percentage (.227-.100).
Offensively, junior McKenzie Washington tied a season-high with nine kills. First-year Leah Oyewole produced seven kills, while sophomore Aaliyaa Genat generated a career-high with six kills.
Sophomore Sam Buckley earned a match-high 28 assists, while junior Elise Gilroy dished out five assists.
Defensively, Gilroy tabbed a match-high 16 digs.
With the score tied at 7-7 in the opening set, Buckley notched a kill to give the Bears the 8-7 cushion. A three-point run pushed the advantage to 11-7. In the run, senior Lily Steinbach tallied a kill along with back-to-back Gorlok errors. Kills from junior Zoe Foster and Oyewole gave WashU the 15-9 lead to warrant a Webster timeout. Later in the set, the Bears manufactured another three-point run to welcome a 20-11 lead. The run was highlighted by a sophomore Eva Boling kill. To end the set, Washington took advantage of an overpass and deposited a kill in front of the 10-foot line to claim the first set, 25-12.
The second set saw back-and-forth action as the score stood at 10-10. Later in the set, a Webster ace cut the deficit to 15-14, with WashU clinging to a one-point lead. Back-to-back Bear miscues tied the set at 16 all. However, a timely three-point WashU run gave the Bears a 19-16 advantage as the Webster coach motioned for a timeout. The Bears did not relinquish the second set lead as Washington, once again, recorded the set-ending kill by a score of 25-21.
Looking for a sweep, WashU manufactured the 10-7 cushion. The Bears utilized a three-point run on a senior Paris Nix kill, a Webster attack error, and a Nix ace to push the advantage to 13-7. A first-year Clair Redmon kill, followed by an ace from junior Jordan Sandberg extended WashU's cushion by a score of 20-16. After a Webster timeout, Genat recorded a kill to give the Bears a 21-16 lead. However, three straight points by the Gorloks cut the deficit to 21-19. Back-to-back aces by Nix pushed the Bear cushion to 23-19. A Webster service error ended the match as WashU took the third set, 25-22.