Weekend Bear Sports

The No. 4 Washington University volleyball team finished action at the Birmingham Southern College Loco’s Invitational in Birmingham, Ala., with a 2-2 record, splitting matches with Georgetown College and Rhodes College on Saturday afternoon. Washington U. fell to Georgetown, 3-0, in the first match of the day, but rebounded with a sweep of Rhodes later in the afternoon.

For weekend sports scores, go to BearSports

A strong serving run by junior middle hitter Erin Albers helped WU erase an 8-5 deficit and tie the first set against Georgetown, 9-9. The Red and Green never got their offense on track in the first frame, as the team struggled with seven kills against eight errors, which allowed an 8-0 scoring run by Georgetown.

The Washington U. offense was much more efficient in the second set, hitting .222, but the Bears struggled in serve-receive which made the difference down the stretch. Washington U. led 13-10 before Georgetown mounted a comeback. The Tigers took an 18-17 lead on a Jessica Hoeh ace and the Bears fell behind by three points because of a combination of an Albers serving error and two-straight aces from Amy Barmore. WU had just one ace compared to five receiving and five serving errors in the 25-20 second frame loss.

Falling behind by eight points, 13-5, in the third set, the Red and Green nearly erased their large deficit, with a 10-4 run of their own, drawing themselves within two points, 15-17, on a block by senior Audra Janak and freshman Kristen Thomas. But the Tigers took back the momentum, scoring five-straight points and went on to win 25-17.

Thomas registered a team-high six kills against Georgetown, while Albers and senior Nikki Morrison both finished with five. The Bears committed 20 combined serve-receive errors, 11 serving and nine receiving, prohibiting them from establishing any momentum during the match.

Washington U. picked up 25-12 and 25-17 victories over Rhodes in the first and third sets, but the second set was competitive to the very end. Rhodes erased a large WU lead to pull within one point, 22-21, but two kills from Washington University senior Ali Crouch enabled the Red and Green to pull away secure a 25-23 win.

Senior Alli Alberts led the Bears with seven kills against Rhodes, while Janak and freshman middle hitter Erin Kasson each tallied six kills apiece. Junior libero Laura Brazeal finished the match with 20 digs and Janak recorded 26 assists. Washington University hit .196 in the three-set win.

Washington University (11-4) returns to action on Thursday, Oct. 2, when the Bears will travel to Webster University in St. Louis, Mo., for a match that was originally scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 18. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.