LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Lions (1-10) took the sand to take on Big West powerhouse Long Beach State (9-1) and Pac 12 force the University of Washington (3-2) in a tri-match on the campus of LBSU. Vanguard battled with a strong sense of pride and resilience before ultimately being defeated in both outings.
"We did a good job of battling through adversity," Karly Cantu (SO/Spokane, WA) reported. "We made a lot of small adjustments that improved our play."
Long Beach State 5, Vanguard 0
Kayla Tinker (JR/San Clemente, CA) and Gabby Morrison (FR/Paso Robles, CA), the top pairing of the Blue and Gold, fell on the losing side of 21-12 and 21-4 scores. Team two, Kelli Dowell (JR/Redlands, CA) and Hannah Holder (SO/Irvine, CA) fought to the bitter end of set one with a 21-19 loss and falling 21-13 in the final flight. On court three, Dani Erdelatz (SO/Stockton, CA) and Charity Dennis (JR/Cypress, CA) were knocked off 21-8 and 21-9. The fourth duo of Eliana Johnson (FR/Scottsdale, AZ) and Cantu battled to 21-11 and 21-13 margins. Rounding out play, Mackenzie Mitchell (FR/Costa Mesa, CA) and Angel Carroll (FR/Roy, WA) were defeated by identical 21-5 scores.
Washington 5, Vanguard 0
Learning from the earlier matchups, Tinker and Morrison pushed the top team from the opponent, rallying from a 21-13 loss in set one to a 21-18 in the second frame. The tightly contested third set went the way of the Huskies 15-13. Dowell and Holder were knocked off 21-14 and 21-8 on court two. The third pairing, Erdelatz and Dennis, was defeated 21-10 and 21-8. On court four, Johnson and Cantu were bested by 21-11 and 21-12 scores. The final pairing of Mitchell and Carroll were bested by 21-6 and 21-11 counts.
Next Match: Thursday, March 29th at Loyola Marymount University at 4:00 p.m. (Santa Monica)
-GOLD PRIDE-
