 "Photo: Lane S. Goodman | Student Life")
 "Photo: Lane S. Goodman | Student Life")
It was their loss to Emory in the UAA title match last year that propelled Washington University’s volleyball team to a national championship.
This year, Wash. U. will look to build on a win after the No. 4 Bears took out the No. 1 Eagles 3-2 in the UAA championship match on Saturday. “It’s just the beginning,” senior Alli Alberts said.
The Red and Green fought a seesaw battle with the Eagles the entire match, taking the first and third sets 25-18 and 25-13, respectively. “We all just wanted it,” freshman Kristen Thomas said. “It feels great and gives us a lot of confidence.”
Senior Nikki Morrison led the team with 14 kills, Thomas had 12 and junior Erin Albers had 11 kills. Emory fought through 15 kills in the second set to take the frame 26-24 and won the fourth set 25-19.
“The key to our win was our backcourt play, our digging and passing,” Head Coach Rich Luenemann said. “Audra [Janak] did a great job directing the offense.” Junior Laura Brazeal, Alberts and freshman Tricia Brandt had 24, 20 and 14 digs, respectively, which gave the Bears opportunities throughout the match.
The Bears fought back from a four-point deficit in the final frame, culminating with a block by freshman Erin Kasson and Alberts to tie the score at seven. Emory extended its lead to 11-8 before the Bears caught up.
The turning point occurred when Janak punched the ball off an Emory blocker to tie the score at 11. After two Emory attack errors, an Emory kill and a solo block by Alberts, the stage was set for the final point. Albers took a set from Janak and spiked the championship-winning point down the middle for a 15-12 victory. “It doesn’t matter who scores it,” Albers said. “It’s awesome.”
The UAA title was the 19th in program history and the third in five years.
Path to Championship Match
The Bears swept New York University and Case Western Reserve University on Friday. Wash. U. put together strings of points for 25-16 and 25-18 victories in the first two sets against NYU. The Violets appeared rattled in the third set with numerous errors, as the Bears picked up the 25-18 win using only seven kills.
Morrison, with her 11 kills, led the Bears against Case in a 25-18, 25-10, 25-10 sweep. Wash. U. had 18 kills in the first set alone. Albers led the Bears through the first frame and Thomas led the team in the second with five kills each.
The Bears stumbled against Carnegie Mellon University on Saturday morning, dropping the initial frame 25-27 after establishing a 21-15 lead. They came out of the break fired up, and Morrison scored the last four points, grabbing the second set with a solo block. Wash. U.’s momentum continued to flow, as the Bears shot to 11-4 in the third set with senior Ali Crouch’s three kills. The lead was extended to 21-5 after back-to-back aces by Janak. A block by Alberts and Albers brought the Bears to a 24-10 advantage. Albers scored the last point with a right side spike. The final set was more of the same, as Albers sealed the 25-14 win. “We finally started to click,” Alberts said. “I can’t wait to play again.”
With the UAA title, the Bears clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship Tournament. Wash. U. finds out where their regional will be held on Monday. The winner of each regional will move on to Bloomington, Ill. where the national championship tournament will be held.
The Bears are not resting on their laurels and will be hard at work. “The celebration is over,” Alberts said. “We have regionals.”
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