14 NCAA Championships • 124 UAA Titles

 
   

No. 4 Washington University Tops No. 3 Emory, 3-1; Advances to NCAA Semifinals

WU-EU BOX | NOTES | PHOTOS

Bloomington, Ill., November 15 , 2007 – The No. 4 Washington University volleyball team earned its second-straight trip into the NCAA Championship semifinals with a 3-1 (30-19, 21-30, 30-27, 30-18) win over No. 3 Emory University in Bloomington, Ill., on Thursday night.  For the Bears, the win avenged a 3-2 loss they suffered to the Eagles just two weeks ago in the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship match.

Washington U. had met Emory (33-7) twice already this season, winning, 3-2, in the second UAA round robin in Cleveland, Ohio, on Oct. 13, but losing by the same score in the conference title match on Nov. 3, in Rochester, N.Y.

Washington University got off to a hot start against Emory, quickly taking a 7-2 lead in the first game, and the Bears did not let up.  Emory managed to stick with WU early on, cutting its deficit to 9-6, but the Red and Green went on a 5-1 scoring run to jump ahead 14-7, and the Eagles never pulled closer than six points for the rest of the frame. 

Washington U. hit .388 as a team in the first game, and juniors Nikki Morrison and Alli Alberts both tallied five kills.  Senior Ellen Bruegge was a key component to the hot start, tallying four of her 11 kills in game one.

Emory turned the tables on WU in the second game, tying the match at a game apiece.  WU hit just .089 in game two, while the Eagles hit .229. Emory jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the second frame and the early deficit was too much for the Bears to overcome.  WU did pull within five points later in the game, cutting the Eagles’ lead to 19-14, but never pulled any closer.

After games one and two were one-sided affairs, game number three was tight until the end, with the Bears holding on for a three-point win.  Coming off a nine-point loss in game two, Washington U. opened up a 5-1 lead to begin the third game.  But, Emory was quick to respond, and used a 13-4 scoring run to take a 14-9 lead.  WU did not fall further behind, but responded with a crucial scoring run of its own to turn the tides.

Trailing by five, WU outscored the Eagles, 14-5, to take what proved to be a commanding lead.  Alberts was critical to the Bears’ ability to reverse its fortunes.  During the WU run, she scored three-straight points for Washington U., including a kill that gave the Bears an 18-17 lead, their first since leading the frame 7-6.  She finished the match with 13 kills.

A persistent Emory team rallied late in the game, putting pressure on WU as it attempted to come away with the win.  The Bears had game point with a five-point lead, but Emory rattled off three-straight scores before Janet Bunning committed an attack error that clinched the game for WU.

Washington University vaulted itself into its second-straight NCAA semifinal match with a commanding performance in game four.  WU led, 8-4, early in the fourth frame, but Emory cut the Bears’ advantage to a single point, 8-7.  From that point forward, Washington U. took complete control of the game, using a 9-2 run to take a 17-9 lead, which was eventually stretched to 23-12 thanks to back-to back aces from junior Ali Crouch.

“Once again it came down to our passing and serving,” head coach Rich Luenemann said.  “We passed well, we served well, and our aggressive play meant they couldn’t use a lot of their first offensive options.”

The Red and Green hit .306 as a team in the victory.  Morrison led WU with 14 kills, hitting a team-high .370.  Senior Haleigh Spencer was the fourth Bear to record double-digit kills, notching 10, to go along with 23 digs.  Junior setter Audra Janak paced the efficient WU offense, notching 45 assists, also tallying six kills and five digs.

Defense was critical to Washington University’s ability to come away with a win.  WU recorded 15 team blocks against the Eagles; it had just eight team blocks when the two squads met on Nov. 3.  Sophomore middle hitter Erin Albers led the team with nine total blocks, four solo and five block assists.  The four solo blocks were a new personal best for Albers.  Sophomore libero Laura Brazeal corralled a team-high 26 digs.

The win means Washington University will play in the national semifinals for the second-consecutive season, and for the fifth time in the last six seasons.  The Bears advanced all the way to the NCAA Championship match in 2006, but lost to Juniata College, 3-2.

Washington U. (31-5) will return to action on Friday, Nov. 16, in Bloomington, Ill., when it will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between No. 1 Wittenberg University and No. 19 Stevens Institute of Technology.  Friday’s match will begin at 7 p.m.