Leah Oyewole Reaches 1,000 Career Kills As No. 14 WashU Wins Over DePauw, Millikin
One last weekend of regular-season action awaited the No. 14 Washington University in St. Louis volleyball team on Saturday as the Bears took on both DePauw and Millikin in a tri-match hosted by Millikin.
WashU made quick work of its opening match against the Tigers of DePauw before coming back in a fifth set against the Big Blue to pick up a pair of wins on the day.
WashU 3, DePauw 0
It did not take long for the Bears to assert their dominance over the Tigers in the first set, taking an immediate and quick 9-1 lead to start. After a pair of points for DePauw, WashU scored the next four to take a 10-point lead, 13-3.
The teams then traded some back-and-forth points and small runs before the Bears led late, 20-11. The Bears then scored the next four thanks to a kill by junior Leah Oyewole, a kill by junior Naya Ohuabunwa, a service ace by first-year Avery Reed, and a block by first-year Nia Jones.
On its third opportunity, WashU got a kill by Ohuabunwa to close out the first set, 25-13.
WashU used several small runs to start the second set to take a 14-8 lead midway through. The Tigers slowly began to chip away at the lead, getting to within three on several occasions, including 19-16 and 22-19. The Bears got their first set point at 24-19, but it was only after a pair of Tiger points that a DePauw attack error gave WashU a 2-0 match lead, 25-21.
The Bears jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead in the third and never looked back. Eventually, WashU went ahead by 10 at 18-8 before the teams went back to trading points, with the Bears getting a kill by Oyewole to close out the match, 3-0 with a 25-15 set-three win.
Oyewole led all with a match-high 12 kills. Senior Sam Buckley finished the match with 33 assists.
WashU 3, Millikin 2
Wanting to close out the regular season on a high note, WashU claimed the fourth and deciding fifth set to complete a comeback and earn a sweep of the day.
Most of the first set was controlled by the Big Blue. Millikin eventually took a 10-point lead, 15-5. The Bears answered with a few small runs, but the Big Blue scored five of the final six points of the set to take a 1-0 lead, 25-17.
The second set was more equal to start before a 6-1 run by the Bears saw WashU take a 13-7 lead. Maintaining their lead, the Bears made their way to the end of the set, claiming a 25-19 win to level the match at 1-1.
The third set was very similar to the first, with the Big Blue jumping out to a large lead before WashU was able to get back within three at 21-18. However, Millikin claimed the final three points to retake the match lead 2-1 with a 25-19 set-three win.
The early portion of the fourth set was similar to the second, this time with the Bears holding a small lead before breaking away. The Big Blue got back within just one point at 13-12 and two points at 15-13, but 5-0 and 3-0 runs put the set out of reach. Kills by Oyewole and first-year Abby Krause leveled the match at two sets apiece, 25-15.
The deciding set saw Millikin take control early with a 5-3 lead in the race to 15. However, the Big Blue only managed to score two more points as the Bears sealed the comeback with a 9-0 run, 15-7.
Oyewole once again had the match-high in kills with 28. With her second kill of the match against Millikin, she tallied her 1,000th career kill and currently has 1,026 heading into the UAA Tournament.
Buckley finished with her ninth double-double of the season with 53 assists and 14 digs. Junior Ellie Laird finished with her own match-high, but hers was in digs with 26.