FULTON, Mo. – Hitting the road for a midweek, non-conference contest, the No. 10 Washington University in St. Louis volleyball team picked up a 3-0 sweep of Westminster (Mo.) on Wednesday evening.
With the win, the Bears improved to 12-3 overall.
The Bluejays took the first point of the first set and would see the early lead grow to 7-4. Down 8-5, WashU responded by going on a 6-1 run to jump ahead by two, capped by a kill from sophomore
Abby Krause. Westminster would eventually tie the score at 13-13 before WashU would take the set lead for good on a pair of points, including a kill from sophomore
Nia Jones, 15-13.
Leading 18-16, the Bears scored seven of the final eight points of the set, taking the opening set, 25-17, for the 1-0 match lead.
WashU never trailed in the second set as the Bears flipped the early portion of the set, taking a quick 8-4 lead. After the Bluejays tied the score at 9-9, WashU went on a 5-1 run to retake a four-point lead, 14-10. Westminster pulled back within two at 15-13, but the Bears would push their lead back up to four on a kill by senior
Anaia Montaque-Harrison, 18-14.
The home team would get back within two points on a pair of occasions, 20-18 and 21-19, but kills by senior
Leah Oyewole and Montaque-Harrison helped WashU take a 2-0 match lead after winning the second set, 25-20.
After the Bears won the first two points of the third set, the Bluejays scored the next five to take control of the set. Westminster would control the set, leading by as many as five, 13-8, before WashU slowly chipped away late. With the Bluejays leading 21-19, WashU retook the lead 22-21 on a Montaque-Harrison block.
The Bears eventually capitalized on their second match-point opportunity on a Bluejay service error, 25-23, and won the match 3-0.
Oyewole had the match-high in kills with 13 while finishing with a .357 attack percentage. Senior
Ellie Laird had the second match-high for WashU with 18 digs. First-year
Anya Mikhailenko also had a match-high for the Bears with 29 assists.
WashU is back in action this Sunday, Oct. 11, when it travels to New York City for the UAA Round Robin #2. The Bears first face Case Western Reserve at 12 p.m. ET before facing No. 13 Chicago at 2 p.m. ET. Both matches are being hosted by NYU.
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