Taking care of old business

After losing in the title match last year, Washington U. wins the Division III volleyball championship

Everyone remembered the confetti. Those tiny slips of paper rained down on the Washington University volleyball team after Juniata rallied to win last year's NCAA Division III championship match, landing on players' shoulders like millions of miniature razor blades.

The Washington University volleyball team celebrate it's national championship, Nov. 17 in Bloomington, IL.

"We had that match in our hands and gave it away," outside hitter Kathy Leeper recalled. "We were there, we almost won it, and then we lost it. And then all this confetti just pops out of the ceiling. We were like, 'That's our confetti.' But it wasn't, because we'd lost.

"And you get home, you're unpacking, and in your gym bag there's more confetti. You're like, 'Great, now this will never leave us alone.'

Never? Not quite.

Fueled by memories of that loss, the Bears returned to the championship match and this time finished the job, defeating Wisconsin-Whitewater in a five-game final last Saturday in Bloomington, Ill. Senior Haleigh Spencer and junior Audra Janak won all-tournament honors, and junior Alli Alberts was named MVP. The NCAA didn't spring for confetti this time, but that didn't much matter.

"It's sunk in a little bit, but not completely," said senior outside hitter Ellen Bruegge, a former Mater Dei standout whose kill decided the championship match. "It's just overwhelming. The feeling is just so satisfying."

"It's still kind of unreal," added Leeper, a key senior reserve. "I don't want to say this validates the team, because it doesn't. But it's a reward for all the hard work, the effort, the sweat, blood and tears that went into this season."

In the aftermath of his second national championship, coach Rich Luenemann has spent much of his week handing out hugs, handshakes and hot-off-the-burner DVDs of the championship match. His office was abuzz with activity Tuesday as people streamed in and out like movie extras, some delivering congratulatory messages, others bringing news of some new postseason honor that had just rolled in.

Middle hitter Erin Albers stopped by with a floppy white envelope. She unsheathed a set of X-rays, holding them up to the light for Luenemann to inspect. That nagging injury she'd been dealing with since the NCAA quarterfinal victory over Emory, the one she played through? Turns out it was a broken hand.

Luenemann could only chuckle. He's been living right.

Which isn't to imply the Bears' title was preordained. Luenemann's ninth season at WU could have gone awry at any time, including the start. The team was 7-4 in mid-September and had lost three in row.

"The losses were against highly ranked teams, but we weren't playing well," he said. "We weren't attacking well. We weren't passing well. We were just a very mediocre team."

But it wasn't in the Bears' nature to panic. That's part of Luenemann's approach to volleyball. He only holds three practices a week, mostly to accommodate class schedules but also so that players stay fresh and alert.

So Luenemann wasn't surprised when the Bears won their remaining 17 regular-season matches or when they responded to their 3-2 loss to Emory in the University Athletic Association championship match by winning five in a row en route to the NCAA final. Nor was he surprised by the confidence players exuded during the final timeout against Wisconsin-Whitewater, with Washington U. leading 14-12 and looking for one last point.

"I looked into their eyes, and I saw their interlocked arms, and I knew the team was ready," he said. "I knew they were going to go out there and score and we were going to win this."

During the matches in Bloomington last week, Leeper glanced up periodically, hoping to see bags of party favors strapped to the rafters. They never appeared. When Bruegge's final kill landed, streamers didn't fly and bales of confetti did not shower down on WU's players. So the celebration isn't over just yet.

"We always have an end-of-season party," Leeper said. "Depending on where it's at, I might see if I can rig something up."

Copyright 2007 St. Louis Post-Dispatch

•	Taking care of old business St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007 Byline: Matt Herb, SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH