The independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
VOLUME 146, NO. 5
WWW.STUDLIFE.COM
Up, up, & away! Olivia Salinger Contributing Writer On the weekend of Sept. 21, thousands of people flocked to view two days of The Great Forest Park Balloon Glow and Race events. Starting in 1973 with only seven balloons, this year marked the 52nd anniversary of the event and featured upwards of 50. The Balloon Glow began celebrations on Friday, Sept. 20. Food trucks, activities, inflatables, and games kept visitors entertained until sunset, after which the Balloon Glow was planned to begin. Unfortunately, due to inclement weather and lightning, the balloons were not released from their tethers until later than anticipated. However, shortly after 8 p.m., the balloons’ ropes were extended, and the balloons took to the sky. The night ended with a fireworks show. On Saturday, Sept. 21, WashU hosted
DJ Reggie for a midday set to celebrate the history of the Forest Park Balloon Glow and Race. The Balloon Race began in the early evening despite the fear that the weather would again hinder the festivities. PNC Bank led the pack, while others such as BarnesJewish Hospital, WashU, Post-Dispatch, Purina, and the St. Louis Magazine followed behind in waves. This year, the PNC Bank balloon was the “hare” to the other balloons’ “hound.” The “hare” begins the race and once it lands, its team draws a target on the ground. The rest of the balloons then drop bean bags from the air, and whichever team lands their bean bag closest to that target wins. The first-place winner of the 52nd Balloon Race was Joe Nusrala, at 97 feet from the target, followed by Carlton Sumner in second place and Dan Gerbus in third, at 110 and 136 feet away, respectively.
SAM POWERS, EMILY KONG, GABRIELLA CULLEN | STUDENT LIFE
No. 8 Volleyball sweeps weekend to extend win streak to double digits RISHI CHINIGA JACOB RITHOLZ STAFF WRITERS
There’s only one way to properly describe the No. 8 Washington University volleyball team: on fire. The Bears walked into the weekend with an eightgame win streak, with three games to play in two days against nationally-ranked opposition. Against No. 17 Gustavus Adolphus College, No. 9 University of La Verne, and Cornell College at home, they extended their undefeated streak to eleven. The Bears started the weekend with a hotly contested 3-1 victory over No. 15 Gustavus Adolphus. After losing the first set, the Bears bounced back to claim each of the next three and ultimately the
victory. Each game went to 20 points, none with a margin of victory over five, with WashU narrowly winning the second set 30-28. Senior outside hitter Lucy Davis gave WashU a narrow onepoint lead late with a clutch kill followed by a Gustavus Adolphus error that let the Bears pull through. “I think we try to stay calm in situations like those,” head coach Vanessa Walby wrote in a statement to Student Life. “We really focus on fundamentals and reminders of what is working during those scenarios…but most importantly we try to work together as a group and trust we will all do our jobs to the best of our abilities.”
SEE VOLLEYBALL, PAGE 7
DANIA BACKAL | STUDENT LIFE Senior Lucy Davis, who had a team-high 13 kills against No. 9 La Verne, spikes the ball in the Bears’ win.
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