COSTA MESA, CA – Vanguard women's volleyball won the first set for the second night in a row, but again could not sustain the momentum as Hope International took the following three sets in a conference matchup on Saturday from The Pit. Set scores were 25-23, 20-25, 21-25, 18-25.
The Lions fall to 10-9 on the season and 5-8 in the GSAC. The Royals moved to 8-14 overall and 4-9 in league action.
What Happened?: Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) led the Lions with 15 kills and 18 digs to post her 12th double-double of the season. Kynzey Mitzel (SR/Tigard, OR) had a team-high 23 digs. Setter Madeline DeLucia (SO/Happy Valley, OR) also garnered a double-double with 20 assists and 11 digs. The Lions had more kills (43-41), service aces (10-8) and blocks (8.0-4.0), while the Royals outhit VU .123 to .027.
Brooke Beresford led Hope with 10 kills.
Set One
The teams were tied at 7-7 when the Lions built a seven point lead thanks to a 9-2 run. Trailing 16-9, the Royals reversed their fortunes, utilizing a 10-0 spurt to take a 19-16 lead. Vanguard battled back, and tied the score at 21-21 on a kill by Fernandez. Knotted at 23-23, the Lions closed out the set on a kill from Callie Bickmore (SO/Auburn, CA) and a Danielle Bellfi (SR/Murrieta, CA) service ace.
Set Two
It was a closely contested set, although Vanguard never led at any point. With the score tied 2-2, the Royals embarked on a 5-0 run to go up five. VU whittled the deficit down to two, 12-10, on a Hope attack error, but the Royals answered with another 5-0 surge to take a 17-10 advantage. VU showed no quit as a Jordon Doiron kill trimmed the score to 20-18. However, Hope got two kills from Carissa Wiles, followed by a VU attack error and a Elly Calles service ace to get to set point. The Lions staved off a pair of set points, but Willes connected for another kill to give Hope the 25-20 win.
Set Three
Set three mirrored the previous set as Vanguard never held a lead. Kate Phillips (FR/Coeur d'Alene, ID) was inserted into the lineup and earned her first kill as a Lion to make it 9-5 Hope early on. The Royal lead grew to six at 11-5 when Vanguard began to chip away, eventually catching Hope at 18-18 on another Fernandez putaway. The teams were tied three more times – the last at 21-21 – when the Royals scored the final four points to take the set 25-21. Wiles produced her only kill of the frame on set point.
Set Four
Determined to get out to a strong start, Vanguard led 7-5 via a Bickmore kill. Hope responded with a 4-0 run to go up 9-7. Back the Lions came, and a Hope miscue gave VU a 14-13 lead. But another Royal spree put VU on the defensive, as five straight points, helped along by three straight VU attack errors, carved out a 20-15 advantage. Hope kept the pressure on, and back-to-back kills by Wiles and Madison Anderson ended the set and the match, 25-18.
Why Is It Important?: Vanguard's six-match winning streak against Hope International came to a halt.
What's Next: The Lions head to northern California next week for a pair of contests. First up is William Jessup on Friday, Oct. 29 at 5:00 p.m.
