Budde and Hargrave Lead No. 1 Volleyball Past Westminster and Mount Union
BOX 1 | BOX 2 | PHOTO GALLERY
St. Louis, Mo., October 8 2010 – The No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis volleyball team swept Westminster College (25-12, 25-11, 25-14) and the University of Mount Union (25-22, 25-21, 25-14) on the opening night of the Washington University Bears Classic on Friday, Oct. 8, at the Washington University Field House in St. Louis, Mo.
The Bears improve to 19-0 on the year and have now won 26-straight home matches dating back to last season. Head coach Rich Luenemann continued his quest for win No. 1,000, and now sits just 11 victories away from the milestone, with an overall career record of 989-314.
Seven kills in the opening set from sophomore outside Drew Hargrave helped Washington University grab a 1-0 lead over Westminster in their first match on Friday. The WUSTL offense hit .415 in the 13-point opening frame win with 20 kills as a unit. The offensive barrage was even more efficient in the second set, when the Bears hit a blistering .542, converting 14 of their 24 swings into points with just one attacking error as a team.
Down 2-0, Westminster started strong in the third set, holding a slim 11-10 lead before Washington U. was back on track. An ace from freshman outside Meghan Byrne gave the Red and Green a 12-11 lead, and behind five kills from sophomore Kristen Thomas Washington University clinched the sweep with a 25-14 win.
Hargrave and junior middle hitter Lauren Budde each tallied nine kills against the Blue Jays, pacing the Washington University offensive attack that accounted for a.424 hitting percentage in the match. Sophomore Meg Buker made the start at libero and recorded 17 digs.
Budde helped Washington University win a close opening set with Mount Union in the nightcap. Neither team managed to sustain any momentum until freshman right side Tessa Blood and Budde recorded back-to-back kills, allowing the Bears to open a 17-14 lead. Mount Union countered with a run of their own, pulling to within one point, 21-20, but Budde scored twice more to put the set out of reach.
The second sent played out similarly to the first, with a crucial run midway through the frame making all the difference. After the score was tied at 13-13, a kill from Byrne and an ace from junior Brittany Mikottis highlighted a 6-1 WUSTL run that ended with Washington University in front, 19-13. Budde had a team-high five kills in that second set, with Byrne chipping in four.
After a pair of tightly contested sets, the Bears stepped on the accelerator in the third. Budde had a pair of solo blocks over a span of three points as the Red and Green broke a 7-7 tie to find themselves leading, 10-7. That was just the start of what turned into a 10-1 scoring run that saw Byrne serve up three aces to help her team build an insurmountable 17-8 lead. Washington U. hit .481 in that final set, with Budde and Hargrave each tallying five kills.
Budde ended the match with a double-double (14 kills, 12 digs), while Hargrave notched 10 kills and hit .333. Sophomore setter Marilee Fisher, who ranks second in Division III in assists per set had 40 assists against the Purple Raiders, an average of 13.3 per frame, and Buker recorded a career-high 22 digs.
Washington U. (19-0) returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 9, when it will conclude play in the Bears Classic. Washington University will face the University of Dallas at 10 a.m., and Webster University at 2:30 p.m.