Washington University in St. Louis’ volleyball team played like a champion, but fell short to top-ranked Juniata College, 3-2, Saturday in the NCAA Championship in Salem, Va. The Bears hit .312 for the match, posted 18 blocks, and led 2-1 before the Eagles rallied for the win.
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In a rematch of the 2004 national championship, Juniata jumped ahead 12-8 in the first game behind senior outside hitter Rachel Schatz, who notched four kills in the opening run. Senior middle hitter Stephanie Kines put the Eagles ahead 12-8 with her second kill when the Bears called for time. Juniata extended to a 14-8 lead before Washington U. responded with a 10-4 run. After Schatz’s fifth kill gave the Eagles an 18-14 edge, the Bears reeled off four straight points, capped off by a double block by junior middle hitter Emilie Walk and junior right side attacker Ellen Bruegge to tie the score at 18-18.
The Eagles scored three straight points to take a 21-18 lead, but WU bounced back again and took a two-point lead (25-23) when senior middle hitter Whitney Smith put down a kill on a Juniata overpass. Led by sophomore outside hitter Amber Thomas, Juniata (41-1) closed out game one on a 7-2 run for a 30-27 win. Thomas finished with 10 kills on 20 attack attempts, while Smith led the second-ranked Bears with four kills in the opening frame.
The Bears came out with the hot hand in game two. Smith notched four kills and two block assists to help give WU a 23-16 lead. Smith converted in the middle with a kill and Juniata called for time. Junior outside hitter Haleigh Spencer then pounded home a kill and Walk followed with a block of Kines to give WU a 27-18 lead and force another Eagles timeout. Walk, who reached the 1,000-kill plateau for her career with her first kill of the match, finished with four kills and two blocks in the frame, which the Bears won 30-20.
“We know they (Juniata) have some of the best hitters in the country,” Smith said. “We talk about taking the right angles all the time in practice, and fortunately our block was in the right place tonight.”
Walk opened game three with a kill on an Eagle overpass, Thomas followed with an attack error for Juniata, and Morrison added a kill to give WU an early 3-0 lead. The Red and Green maintained a two-point margin until midway through the game, when they opened up a six-point edge. Sophomore outside hitter Ali Crouch registered back-to-back kills to give WU an 18-12 lead and force Juniata to burn its second timeout. The Red and Green opened a 21-13 lead before Kines capped a 3-0 run to bring the Eagles within five. After a Washington U. timeout, Walk took over with a kill and back-to-back solo blocks on Kines. Sophomore Alli Alberts closed out the game, 30-22, with her first kill on the outside.
WU continued its strong play to start the fourth frame. With the score tied at 4-4, Smith notched a kill and Schatz missed long for the Eagles. Walk and Smith posted a double block, and Walk added a kill for an 8-4 Bears lead. After the Eagles called time, Walk added another solo block to cap a 5-0 run. Juniata drew within two points at 15-13 when Bruegge recorded consecutive kills for a 17-13 WU lead; Bruegge notched nine kills and hit .500 for the match. The Red and Green took a 22-18 lead on a double block by Smith and Spencer, and Juniata called for time again.
The Eagles fought back again to draw within one point (25-24), and the Bears whistled for time. Juniata went on to win the fourth game, 30-27, when Schatz connected from the outside for her 18 th kill; she finished 21 kills and 12 digs.
Juniata, which hit .230 for the match, took an 8-6 lead in the fifth game after kills by Thomas and Schatz. After the changeover and a Bears timeout, the Eagles extended to a 12-8 lead on a blocking error by the Bears. Trailing 13-8, the Bears responded with a kill by Walk and a double block by Walk and Spencer to draw within three points (13-10). Thomas, though, closed out the match, 15-10, with her 25th kill to give Juniata its second national title in three years.
“Momentum is such a huge factor in volleyball,” said senior libero Amy Bommarito. “We hoped to regain the momentum in the fifth game, but it didn’t go our way.”
Kines tallied a match-high 26 kills and a .412 hitting percentage for the Eagles. Walk led the Red and Green with 17 kills and 11 total blocks (five solos), while Smith finished with 15 kills and eight blocks. Bommarito corralled 23 digs to lead the Bears, and Spencer finished with 10 kills and 15 digs.
“I’ve been around volleyball for a long time, and this is the best match I’ve ever been a part of,” said WU head coach Rich Luenemann. “One thing we didn’t do was win. It’s disappointing but we’ll take the memories of this season with us.”
Thomas, Kines and sophomore setter Beth Kozak, who notched 75 assists, were named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team; Thomas garnered Most Outstanding Player honors. Smith and Walk also were named to the All-Tournament Team for WU.
Washington U., which is 2-2 versus Juniata in NCAA championship matches, also ended its 30-match winning streak.