The No. 2 volleyball team began its 2008 season with four victories at the 2008 Washington University Invitational in the WU Field House. Senior setter Audra Janak and senior rightside attacker Nikki Morrison were named to the all-tournament team. Janak finished the weekend with 89 assists, 28 digs and 12 kills, while Morrison hit a team-best .508, tallying 35 kills in the Bears’ four wins.
Washington University picked up straight-set wins over Lawrence University, Simpson College and Cardinal Stritch University but faced its first test of the season when it squared off with No. 19 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the tournament finale. WUSTL dropped the second set of its match with the Blugolds but responded by taking the next two. Janak starred in the four-set victory, recording a triple-double with 35 assists, 11 kills and 10 digs.
The Bears (4-0) return to action Friday, Sept. 5, when they begin competition in the Washington University/ASICS National Invitational. The Bears will host three teams currently ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association top 25 poll, and will begin play against No. 22 Central College (Iowa) at 5:30 p.m.
Women’s soccer opens with two wins
The ninth-ranked women’s soccer team opened the 2008 campaign with two victories at home in the Washington University Classic. The Jim Conlon era began on a positive note on with a 3-2 overtime victory over No. 19 Calvin College, with two goals coming from junior Caryn Rosoff and one from freshman Lee Ann Felder, her first career goal. The Bears followed with a convincing 4-0 win over Hope College Aug. 30. WUSTL got goals from junior Becca Heyman, senior Kristen Hilligoss, Rosoff and senior Jenny Phillip.
Senior goalkeeper Amanda Boe made one save in the nets as she picked up her first career shutout. The Bears outshot Hope 30-1, and had a 7-1 advantage on corner kicks.
WUSTL (2-0) begins a three-game road trip in California Sept. 4 against Chapman University.
Cross country hosts early bird meet
The women’s and men’s cross country teams opened their 2008 schedule Aug. 30, hosting the Big River Running Early Bird Meet at the Central Fields in Forest Park. The men’s squad placed fourth out of a field of 16 teams, while the women’s team finished fifth out of 13 teams.
Junior Matt Kruger led the way for the Bears in the men’s 6K run, finishing in 15th place with a time of 19:42.
The women’s team had a pair of runners finish within nine-tenths of a second of one another, as senior Angela Hart-man came in 29th with a time of 15:38.0 and senior Hillary Superak was 30th in 15:38.9.
Both teams return to competition Sept. 3 in Grinnell, Iowa, to run in the Les Duke Invitational.
Men’s soccer opens season with a split
The No. 6 men’s soccer team saved a split of its two games at the Birmingham Southern College Labor Day Classic in Birmingham, Ala. After dropping a 3-1 game to Sewanee University Aug. 29, the Bears came from behind to defeat tournament host Birmingham Southern, 2-1, Aug. 31.
Junior Ryan Grandin scored in the 19th minute against Sewanee to give the Bears a 1-0 lead that they took into the half. However, Sewanee capitalized on each of its scoring opportunities in the second half and ended the game with three unanswered goals.
Against Birmingham Southern, WUSTL was in the opposite situation, trailing 1-0 after 45 minutes of play. However, two seniors, Marshall Plow and Kellen Hayes, each scored in the second half to secure the win for the Bears.
Men’s soccer (1-1) returns to action Saturday, Sept. 6, when the Bears travel to Fulton, Mo., to play Westminster College.