Volleyball advances to NCAA quarterfinal

The No. 3 volleyball team continued its quest to win back-to-back national championships with a 3-0 victory over No. 14 University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the Kenosha, Wis., Regional Championship Nov. 14.

WUSTL and UW-Platteville both entered Sunday’s contest sporting identical 33-3 overall records, but the Bears’ tournament experience prevailed in the three-set win. WUSTL was playing for a regional championship for a 24th-consecutive season, while Platteville had advanced to the regional final for the first time in school history.

The Bears improved to 88-14 all-time in NCAA tournament competition and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the 22nd time in school history. The team will face University Athletic Association foe New York University in the NCAA quarterfinals at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, at the Washington University Field House.

WUSTL had three student-athletes named to the Kenosha Regional all-tournament team: freshman outside hitter Meghan Byrne, sophomore libero Kelly Pang and junior middle hitter Lauren Budde, who was named the region’s Most Outstanding Player.

Budde had 11 kills, 12 digs and four blocks in the victory over Platteville, while Pang corralled 31 digs, eclipsing 30 digs for the third time this season, and Byrne hit an outstanding .478 with 12 kills and three aces, three digs and three blocks.

Cross country teams qualify for NCAA championships

Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams have qualified to compete in the 2010 NCAA Division III championship meet Saturday, Nov. 20, in Waverly, Iowa.

The WUSTL women automatically qualified Nov. 13 as the second-place finisher at the 2010 NCAA Division III Midwest Region Championships in Rock Island, Ill. The men’s team received one of 16 available at-large selections, following their fourth-place showing at the Midwest championships.

A total of 32 teams will compete in both the men’s and women’s NCAA races. This year’s championship meet will be held at the H.J. Max Championship Course. The men’s race begins at 11 a.m., with the women’s race to follow at noon.

This weekend marks the seventh straight NCAA appearance for the women’s team and 10th in school history. The men will compete at the NCAA championships for the fifth time in school history and in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. It is the third time WUSTL has had both squads qualify for nationals (2006, 2009).

The women finished 10th at last year’s championship meet while the men’s team posted a school-record seventh-place showing.

Football falls to Chicago in season finale

The football team had its six-game winning streak snapped with a 13-10 loss at the University of Chicago Nov. 13. The Bears end the season with a 7-3 overall record, and placed second in the conference with a 2-1 record.

Chicago regained possession of the Founders Cup, which commemorates the first football game played between two University Athletic Association (UAA) schools. The Maroons also claimed an outright UAA Championship, its fourth conference title in school history.

Senior running back Jim O’Brien carried the ball 26 times for 75 yards and moved past Tom Polacek (1984-87) into first place on the all-time Washington University list with 2,529 yards. Junior linebacker Nick Hillard led the defensive unit with eight tackles, while freshman defensive back Scott O’Brien added seven solo stops. Senior defensive back Nick Vom Brack added four tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and an interception in his final game.

Men’s soccer suffers shootout loss to Loras

The No. 8 men’s soccer team had its season come to an end with a heartbreaking shootout loss to Loras College in the NCAA tournament’s second round Nov. 14. WUSTL ends the season with a 14-1-5 overall record, and an 8-0-3 mark at home.

After the teams played to a 1-1 draw in 110 minutes, the Duhawks posted a 2-0 win in the shootout. Senior Miguel Bonilla gave Loras an early 1-0 lead in the penalty kicks after beating WUSTL freshman goalkeeper Jonathan Jebson. WUSTL freshman Nik Patel sent his PK over the crossbar, and then Jebson saved Thomas Jennings’ shot to keep it a one-goal differential.

Senior Cody Costakis’ penalty kick was wide right, and then Andy Flipiak scored on Loras’ third kick to make it 2-0. Sophomore Kenji Kobayashi was denied by Loras goalkeeper Dan Wickman on the Bears’ third PK, and then Tom Strumpf’s penalty kick went off the crossbar.

With the Bears needing two successful kick to tie the match, junior Patrick McLean’s PK went wide left giving Loras the 2-0 shootout victory.

Women’s soccer loses in second round

The women’s soccer team ended its season with a 2-0 loss Nov 13 at No. 3 Otterbein University in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Division III tournament.

The Bears outshot Otterbein, 14-10, for the game and had a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.

WUSTL completed its season with an 11-8-2 overall record, and finished in a tie for fourth place in the University Athletic Association standings.