GREENVILLE, Ill. – In its final mid-week contest of the regular season, the No. 8 Washington University in St. Louis volleyball team picked up the 3-0 win over Greenville on the road Wednesday evening. The Bears improve to 25-4 overall heading into the final weekend.
Like so often this season, the first set saw a an early back and forth before the Bears went on a 6-0 run to take an 18-10 lead. The teams then returned to nearly a point for point with WashU scoring seven of the next 13 points to take the first set 25-17.
The second set looked much like the beginning of the first with neither team leading by more than two early on. The Bears used a 7-2 run to pull away, 20-14. With WashU holding onto a 23-18 lead, three straight points by the Panthers forced a Bears timeout. After one more by Greenville, the WashU got back-to-back kills by senior Lily Steinbach gave the Bears the second set, 25-22.
Greenville was not going away quietly in the third set. They would take a lead early and maintain it until WashU used a back-row attack error to earn their first lead of the set, 13-12. With the Panthers regaining the lead, 16-15, the Bears used a 3-0 run before two consecutive points by Greenville tied the score at 18-18. WashU then used another 3-0 run to jump out ahead, 21-18. The Panthers then scored three-straight points of their own to tie the score and force a WashU timeout.
Two more points by Greenville saw them just two point away from the set. A Panther attack error and a service ace by senior Elise Gilroy tied the score up at 23-23. Greenville got the first set point at 24-23, but a pair of kills by junior Eva Boling followed by an attack that went just long saw WashU come back for the 26-24 set three win and the sweep, 3-0.
Steinbach had a team-high seven kills, zero errors, and a .778 hitting percentage against the Panthers. Graduate Lauren McCurley also finished with zero hitting errors along with six kills for a .667 hitting percentage. Steinbach and McCurley were two of 11 different Bears to record a kill in the match.
Junior Sam Buckley finished with 33 assists, averaging 11.0 per set while Gilroy led the team with 15 digs.
WashU returns home this Saturday, Nov. 9 for a tri-match with DePauw and No. 11 Millikin at the Field House. The Bears kick things off with a 10:30 a.m. match with the Tigers before closing out the day with a 3:30 p.m. match against the Big Blue.
Prior to their first match, the team will honor its seven seniors with a special recognition ceremony.
