Volleyball still perfect

The No. 1 volleyball team (17-0) continues to roll and opened its University Athletic Association (UAA) season with three victories Oct. 2 and 3 in Atlanta. The Bears had victories over Brandeis University, the University of Rochester and the University of Chicago.

Led by freshmen Meghan Byrne and Tessa Blood and sophomore Drew Hargrave, WUSTL picked up a 3-0 win over Brandeis Oct. 2, the first day of the conference round robin. Junior middle hitter Lauren Budde tallied a team-high 14 kills in a 3-1 victory over the University of Rochester Oct. 3.

In the most intense match of the weekend, WUSTL erased a 2-0 deficit to come back and defeat No. 19 University of Chicago, 3-2. Trailing 2-0 to the Maroons, The Bears saw Hargrave tally five kills and Blood add four as they won the third set 25-18 to prolong the match. A strong serving run from Byrne, which included two aces, made the difference in the fourth set, and Byrne and Hargrave each totaled four kills in the decisive 15-10 fifth-set victory.

Byrne finished the weekend with 35 kills and a team-high attacking percentage of .382 and Hargrave notched a team-best 37 kills in 11 sets of action.

The team returns to action Friday, Oct. 9, when it hosts Westminster College and Mount Union University at the WU Field House. The match with Westminster is scheduled for 5:15 p.m., with Mount Union to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Men’s soccer plays No. 9 Emory to 0-0 double OT tie

No. 13 WUSTL and No. 9 ranked Emory University played to a 0-0 double-overtime tie in the UAA men’s soccer opener for both squads Oct. 3 at Francis Field.

Senior goalkeeper Andrew Serio (45 minutes, five saves) and freshman goalkeeper Jonathan Jebson (65 minutes, four saves) split time in goal for the Bears.

WUSTL had a 16-15 advantage in shots, while Emory held a 10-5 advantage in corner kicks. With the tie, the soccer team improves to 7-0-3 on the year, which is its best start to a season since 1995, when the Bears began the year with a 10-0-1 record.

WUSTL (7-0-3, 0-0-1 UAA) steps out of conference play on Wednesday, Oct. 6, for a 7 p.m. road game at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo.

Women’s soccer opens conference play with tie

The women’s soccer team opened UAA play with 0-0 double-overtime tie with No. 14 ranked Emory University Oct. 3 at Francis Field.

Sophomore goalkeeper Clara Jaques picked up her fourth shutout of the season making four saves. Jacques also lowered her goals-against-average to 0.64.

The Bears began the week with a 4-0 win at home over Principia College Sept. 30. Junior Emma Brown had one goal and two assists in the victory for the Bears.

WUSTL (4-5-1, 0-0-1 UAA) steps out of conference play Thursday, Oct. 7, for a road game at Webster University. Game time is set for 5 p.m. at St. Louis Soccer Park.

Cross country teams compete in Louisville

Running in their most competitive meet of the season, the No. 2 men’s cross country team finished 16th overall, while the No. 3 women’s team grabbed 18th, at the Greater Louisville Classic Oct. 2.

The meet featured some of the best cross country programs from all three NCAA Divisions at Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky. The men’s 8K included 38 teams and 323 runners, while the women’s 5K included 35 schools and 302 competitors.

Junior Michael Burnstein paced the men’s squad on Saturday, coming in 57th overall with an 8K time of 24:45.68. Setting the pace for the women was freshman Sarah Fisher, capturing 96th overall with a time of 18:30.84.

Both teams return to action Saturday, Oct. 9, for the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Gibson Family Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind.

Women’s golf second at Prairie Star Shootout

The No. 6 women’s golf team took home second-place honors at the Prairie Star Shootout held Oct. 2 and 3 at The Rail Golf Course in Springfield, Ill.

Division II University of Missouri-St. Louis won the overall team title with a two-day total of 658 (330-328). WUSTL fired a 671 (333-338) to place second, while the University of Southern Indiana (338-353, 691), Lewis University (352-349, 701) and Bellarmine University (361-343, 704) rounded out the top five.

The Bears had three student-athletes finish in the top-10, led by freshman Allyson Chee and sophomore Hannah Buck. Chee (81-86, 167) and Buck (84-83, 167) tied for fourth overall in a field of 56 golfers. Freshman Andrea Hibbert came in two strokes behind Chee and Buck, firing a two-day score of 169 (84-84) for a seventh-place finish.

The meet marks the end of the fall golf season. The spring season resumes March 26 and 27, 2011, at the Northern Kentucky Invitational in Perry Park, Ky.

Swimming & diving teams open season

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams opened their 2010-11 seasons at the University of Missouri Show-Me Showdown Oct. 2 in Columbia, Mo. The Show-Me Showdown annually showcases some of the best swimming and diving programs in the state of Missouri across all three NCAA divisions and the NAIA.

Both squads had a number of newcomers turn in impressive performances, but none more so than WUSTL women’s freshman Chi Pham, who garnered five top-seven finishes in a combination of relay and individual swims.

Pham finished fourth in the 100-backstroke with a time of 59.26, and was fifth in the 200-individual medley, posting a mark of 2:12.62. In the 200-medley relay, she swam with junior Catherine Rafferty-Millett, senior Karin Underwood and freshman Allison Siegel to turn in a time of 1:53.12, Pham, Siegel, sophomore Veronica Tse and freshman Paige VanTassell finished sixth in the 400-freestyle relay (3:42.25) and Pham, Tse, Siegel and senior Claire Henderson grabbed seventh place in the 200-freestyle relay (1:41.22).

On the men’s side, senior Kartik Anjur, freshman Brian Carpenter, junior JD Scott and sophomore Mark Minowitz took eighth place in the 200-medley relay. Carpenter also grabbed a pair of 11th-place individual finishes in the 100-backstroke (54.50) and the 50-yard breaststroke (28.65). Anjur placed 10th in the 50-yard backstroke (25.35).

Both the men’s and women’s teams return to action Saturday, Oct. 9, when they will compete in their first dual meet of the season, hosting Division I Saint Louis University at 1 p.m. at the Millstone Pool.

Softball honored for academics

The softball team has been recognized by the National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) for having the highest grade-point average among all NCAA Division III teams for the 2009-10 academic year.

The Bears posted a cumulative GPA of 3.549 last year, to take the top spot among all Division III programs. In addition to the team award, all student-athletes who achieved a 3.50 GPA during the last academic year are named as Girls Got Game/NFCA Scholar-Athletes.

Eight WUSTL student-athletes earned the Girls Got Game/NFCA Scholar-Athlete Award: Ashley Janssen, Caitlyn Hoffman, Carter Malouf, Claire Voris, Kathy Peter, Megan Fieser, Rebecca Salisbury and Sondra Polonsky.