The No. 1 volleyball team improved its record to 21-1 with five wins last week. The Bears earned a three-set win at Webster University Wednesday, before sweeping Knox College, Central College, Monmouth College (Ill.), and Westminster College (Mo.) on Friday and Saturday at the Bears Classic.
Four WUSTL players were named to the Bears Classic all-tournament team — senior outside hitter Drew Hargrave, junior defensive specialist Tanya Marvi, senior libero Kelly Pang, and freshman setter Cassie Wang. Hargrave led the Bears with 60 kills and a .440 hitting percentage for the five matches. Marvi finished with 32 digs and six ace serves, while Pang had 59 digs and five aces on the week. Wang posted 73 assists, nine aces and four blocks in seven sets of action.
The top-ranked Bears wrap up their University Athletic Association (UAA) regular-season schedule at UAA Round Robin #2 on Saturday and Sunday at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. WUSTL takes on No. 13 University of Chicago and New York University on Saturday afternoon before facing Carnegie Mellon and No. 6 Emory University on Sunday.
Men’s soccer tops Emory for first UAA win
A goal in the 88th minute by junior Jeremy Kirkwood lifted the men’s soccer team to a 1-0 win over Emory University in University Athletic Association (UAA) action Sunday afternoon. The win snapped a three-match losing skid for the Bears and helped them even their conference record to 1-1.
With less than three minutes to play in regulation, Kirkwood took a pass from freshman Cole Davis and dribbled past two Emory defenders before scoring the game-winning goal over the Eagles’ goalkeeper. The goal was Kirkwood’s first of the season after he missed WUSTL’s first nine games due to an injury.
With the win, WUSTL (6-3-1, 1-1 UAA) moved into a tie for fourth with Emory in the UAA standings, just one-half game behind No. 9 Brandeis University, Carnegie Mellon University and No. 6 New York University. The Bears host New York at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, before facing Brandeis at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24.
Women’s soccer ties No. 1 Emory 2-2 in double overtime
The No. 8 women’s soccer team posted a 2-2 double overtime tie against No. 1 Emory University Oct. 6 at Francis Field.
Emory remains unbeaten with an 8-0-3 record, 1-0-1 in the University Athletic Association (UAA), while WUSTL is 9-1-1, 1-0-1 in the UAA. Brandeis University, Case Western Reserve University, Emory and WUSTL sit in a four-way tie for first place with five conference games remaining.
WUSTL held onto the one-goal lead with less than a minute to play, when Veronica Romero gathered a pass from Claudia Rowe and tied the game up with 48.1 seconds remaining. The goal for Romero was her second of the game and fifth of the season. Senior Lauren Clatch and sophomore Tessa Klumpp scored for WUSTL in the second half.
Emory outshot WUSTL 20-12 for the game, including a 9-2 mark in overtime. Senior goalkeeper Clara Jaques made four saves and played the entire 110 minutes in net for WUSTL. Senior back Nicole Martin anchored the back line for WUSTL making two team saves.
WUSTL continues its five-game homestand with a pair of conference contests at Francis Field next weekend. The Bears host New York University at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, followed by a home game against No. 22 Brandeis University at 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 14. Both games will be broadcast live on Bear Sports Network.
Swimming and diving posts strong performances at Show-Me Showdown
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams posted six top-10 finishes as the WUSTL women tied for fifth and the men finished sixth in the team standings on Friday night at the Show-Me Showdown. WUSTL was the lone NCAA Division III team at the meet, which was won by University of Missouri.
Three of WUSTL’s relays posted fifth-place finishes — the men’s 200-freestyle relay (sophomore Peter Qin, senior Brendan Morin and freshmen Reed Dalton and Kaisen Yao), the women’s 200-free relay (junior Jennifer Tartavull, freshman Katie Anderson, junior Chi Pham and freshman Kristalyn McAfee), and the women’s 400-free relay (McAfee, Tartavull, Anderson and freshman Grace Counts).
The women’s 400-free relay team of freshman Amanda Stadermann, sophomore Sara Taege, freshman Toireasa Rafferty-Millett and sophomore Katie Crist placed 10th in the event.
Anderson was the lone WUSTL swimmer to finish in the top-10 individually, placing seventh in the women’s 100 backstroke. The final top-10 finish for the Bears was ninth place in the men’s 200-medley relay (Yao, junior Brian Carpenter, Morin and freshman RJ Petrella).
The WUSTL swimming and diving teams have the next two weeks off before traveling to Greencastle, Ind., to take on DePauw University in a dual meet beginning at 1 p.m. (ET) Saturday, Oct. 27.
WUSTL ranked sixth in 2012 NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings
The National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) announced its 10th Annual Collegiate Power Rankings and WUSTL was ranked sixth overall on the list of top academic and athletic colleges and universities in the country. The list includes all schools at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels.
WUSTL also finished first within the University Athletic Association (UAA) and third in the Division III rankings. The sixth-place finish is the third-highest finish in school history and the Bears’ eighth-straight top-15 appearance–2005 (fourth), 2006 (fifth), 2007 (12th), 2008 (fourth), 2009 (fifth), 2010 (sixth) and 2011 (11th).
Williams College ranked first in the overall standings, with Amherst College, Duke University, University of Notre Dame and Stanford University rounding out the top five.
WUSTL ranked second in the final 2011-12 Learfield Sports Division III Director’s Cup rankings, 14th in the U.S. News and World Report rankings and 44th for student-athlete graduation rate. WUSTL had 17 of 19 teams compete in NCAA Tournament action, and recorded seven top-10 finishes. WUSTL also won eight UAA titles and posted a combined sports record of 203-69-1 (.745).