The No. 2 volleyball team defeated Muskingum College, 30-17, 30-23, 30-25, early on Oct. 11, and that afternoon it won the National Invitational II title over host Wittenberg University behind sophomore setter Kara Liefer’s triple-double and most valuable player performance. Liefer recorded 47 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs — her first career triple-double — in the Bears’
27-30, 31-29, 30-23, 30-25 victory in the championship match. After dropping the first game, the Bears chipped away at an eight-point lead in the second frame to tie the score at 24. WUSTL held on for a 31-29 win to even the match. The Bears led the majority of the way thereafter. Junior outside hitter Colleen Winter registered a team-high 16 kills in the match to go with 26 digs, while classmate Ishi Ballew tallied 11. Sophomore Nicole Hodgman posted a team season-high and career-high 30 digs, and senior Amy Brand had nine blocks. Against Muskingum, senior Cindy McPeak led the Bears with 10 kills in 13 attempts, while Ballew added 10 kills and four service aces. Liefer totaled 38 kills, 164 assists and 26 digs over the weekend en route to being named the tournament MVP. Winter and Brand joined her on the All-Tournament Team.
Other updates
Despite outgaining Trinity Uni-versity 398-308 in total offense, the Bears football team could produce just one touchdown and suffered a 21-7 loss to the No. 16 Tigers Oct. 11 in San Antonio. Sophomore Brad Duesing had nine catches for 104 yards and a touchdown in the loss as he moved into a tie for fourth place on the school’s all-time reception list (116) and into sixth place on the all-time receiving yardage list (1,791). Trinity completed a 48-yard pass play on the opening play of the game, and then two plays later, Dan DesPlaines hit Jason Mendivil for a 26-yard touchdown reception as the Tigers quickly went up 7-0, which held until halftime. Junior quarterback Adam Meranda was knocked out of the game on the Bears first possession of the third quarter and was replaced by senior Matt Alley who saw his first action since suffering an injury in a season-opening loss at Simpson. Four plays later, Jarrod Smith of Trinity intercepted Alley’s pass and returned it 50 yards for the touchdown. Alley drove the Bears down the field on the ensuing possession and hit Duesing with a seven-yard touchdown strike on fourth down as WUSTL cut the lead to 14-7 with 7:42 left in the third quarter, but that was all the Bears could muster.
The men’s soccer team went 1-0-1 last week, shutting out Blackburn College, 5-0, and playing No. 3 Emory University to a 0-0 draw in Atlanta. WUSTL (5-4-3 overall, 0-1-1 UAA) erupted for five second-half goals against Blackburn in Carlinville, Ill. Senior James Ward scored the game-winning goal off a free kick, and sophomore David Borton scored two goals in the match. Borton leads the Bears with three goals this season. Senior Scott Siebers and sophomore Nick Kalscheur added the other two goals for the Bears.
The women’s soccer team suffered its first defeat in 11 games as the Bears dropped a 1-0 loss at No. 10 Emory Oct. 11 in Atlanta. The Bears had not lost since a season-opening 5-0 setback at No. 2 Wheaton College. Emory (10-3, 1-1 UAA) dominated play in the first half, but the Bears (8-2-2, 1-1 UAA) outshot the Eagles 5-3 in the opening frame. Emory gained the lead in the 21st minute as Jessie Dean scored on an assist from Adrienne DeMarais to give the Eagles the 1-0 lead. In the second half, the Bears outshot Emory 9-0, but could not muster a goal. For the game, Washington U. outshot Emory, 14-3.