ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The No. 16 WashU volleyball team wrapped up action and hosting duties for the 2024 East-West Classic with a pair of wins on Saturday afternoon at the Varsity Gym. The Bears started the day off with a 3-1 win over No. 5 Trinity before sweeping Tufts 3-0  in the final match of the day.

No. 16 WashU 3, No. 5 Trinity 1

Both teams opened the first set going back and forth with the teams tied at 8-8. The Tigers then went on a quick 3-0 run before WashU answered with their own 5-0 run, including a kill and pair of blocks by sophomore Leah Oyewole and capped by a kill from senior Jasmine Sells.

The Tigers chipped away and retook the lead at 18-16. But they would score only two more points as WashU closed out the first set on a 9-2 run to take the set 25-20.

The second set was all Bears as WashU jumped out to a 13-4 lead after the score was tied at 3-3. Trinity began to slowly chip away, eventually pulling within just two points at 18-16. Once again, the Bears only allowed two points late closing out the second set with another Sells kill, 25-18.

Trinity prevented the sweep by claiming the third set, 25-19.

The fourth set opened with Trinity holding onto a 10-7 advantage. After the Bears tied it up at 13-13, the teams would trade points with WashU ahead 22-21. A Tiger service error, a kill by graduate Lily Steinbach, and a Trinity error closed out the set and match in favor of the Bears, 25-21 and overall, 3-1.

Sells had the match-high 16 kills with Oyewole (13) and Steinbach (11) also reaching double-figures. Junior setter Sam Buckley finished the contest with 45 assists. Senior Elise Gilroy had the match-high 16 digs with Sells and sophomore Ellie Laird each recording 13.

No. 16 WashU 3, RV Tufts 0

Much like the first match of the day, the Bears would go back and forth to start the first set until Tufts went on a quick 3-0 run to give themselves a 17-15 lead. With the teams tied up at 21-21, a pair of kills by Oyewole put the Bears ahead 23-22. Tied up at 23-23, another kill by Oyewole and capped by a Jumbos error put WashU up 1-0 with a 25-23 set one win.

The Bears trailed just by one point on two occasions in the second set at 12-11 and 13-12 before going on a 7-0 stretch, capped by an Oyewole and senior Zoe Foster block. A Tufts service error gave WashU the set 25-17 and a 2-0 match lead.

The third and final set was all Bears as the home team never trailed in the set, starting off on a 5-0 run and never looking back. The Jumbos pulled within two at 13-11 before WashU would extend their lead to as many as six on two occasions before a Bears kill closed out the set 25-20 and the match 3-0.

Both Sells and Oyewole tied for the match-high in kills with 12 while Buckley dished out 35 assists. Foster was a stalwart at the net with six total blocks.
 
For her efforts over the weekend, Sells earned one of seven spots on the All-Tournament Team. The complete team is below:
Jasmine Sells, WashU
Rianna Liu, Tufts
Lily Martin, Emory
Maddie Fate, Trinity
Brenna Bell, CMS
Annie Steger, Colorado College
Simone Adams, Johns Hopkins