Atherton, Calif. -- The Vanguard University women's volleyball team made it two wins in a row Saturday, as the squad took down the Oaks of Menlo College. The match was close throughout but the Lions built upon their performance from the game against William Jessup and took the win with scores of 25-19, 26-28, 25-23, and 25-19. The win moves VU to 12-9 overall and 7-8 in Golden State Athletic Conference play. The Oaks fall to 5-14 overall and 3-11 in the GSAC.
What happened? The Lions got on the board after a perfectly placed ball from Samantha Arellano (SR/Tulare, CA), but the Oaks were better off the tee, as the hosts got out to a 4-1 lead. An ace from Blair Dodge (FR/Aliso Viejo, CA), and some quality defense soon reversed the score, as the Lions put up seven unanswered points to take an 8-4 lead. Dodge added another ace during the run and Jordan Doiron (SO/Temecula, CA) chipped in her first kill of the day. Menlo had a couple of points, but VU kept humming along, with the rest of the offensive mainstays adding in their first kills of the day to take Vanguard ahead 16-9. The lead remained steady at seven points after a kill from Danielle Bellfi (SR/Murrieta, CA) put the Lions up 21-14, and the team forced the Oaks into a pair of attack errors to snag the first set 25-19. VU hit .195, with 11 kills and three errors, while smoldering the Oaks, who hit -.021, with ten kills and eleven errors.
Set Two
The second frame started once more with a point from Menlo, but Hailey Petersen (JR/Omaha, NE) answered with a solid kill shot. The teams then walked up the score from there until it was 6-6. MC then put up some points in a hurry, as the home side took an 11-7 lead. The Blue and Gold did not let that phase them however, as the Lions once more forced Menlo into some attack errors. Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) and then Callie Bickmore (SO/Auburn, CA) helped to put the team ahead 12-11. The game would be tied at 17-17 and 21-21, as neither side could remained ahead for long. Tied at 24-all, Arellano pummeled a ball put the Lions in the driver's seat but the Oaks grabbed the next point. Bellfi then gave VU another chance for the set win on a great kill, but Menlo rounded into form and grabbed the next four points to win set two 28-26. Vanguard hit .073 in the second, while Menlo hit .080.
Set Three
In a similar way to the WJU game, the Lions did not let the adversity keep them down for long. The squad scooped up a 2-1 lead to start the third and used their defense to increase that margin to 5-3. The Oaks could not get open looks over the next few rallies, as they committed three attack errors, while Doiron and Bickmore combined for a block, to propel the Lions to a 9-4 lead. Bickmore and Bellfi added in powerful kills to keep the Lions ahead by a safe margin during the middle stages, but the Oaks started to find some points. Menlo came all the way back to tie the game at 19-all and then took a 22-20 lead. But Bellfi pasted a ball to the floor and Fernandez threw down two kills to knot the game at 23-23. Another strong kill by #11 and an attack error by the Oaks allowed VU to take set three 25-23. VU hit .114, while Menlo hit .073.
Set Four
The Oaks looked quite strong to start what would become the final set, as they pocketed eight of the first 10 points, including three aces, to start with an 8-2 advantage. Vanguard slowly chipped away, with kills from Fernandez, Bickmore, and Bailey Olbur (SO/Las Vegas, NV). Victoria Verceles (JR/Long Beach, CA), back from injury, served up an ace, and in conjunction with some errors from Menlo, helped to level the score at 12-12. Tied at 16-all, the Blue and Gold frustrated the Oaks once more, as two-straight attack errors and an ace from Dodge gave VU the lead, which they would not give up. Bickmore and Bellfi each pounded out two kills over the final rallies and Vanguard secured set four 25-19 and the match 3-1. VU hit .286 in the fourth, with 14 kills and four errors, while the Oaks hit .118.
The Blue and Gold were led by Bellfi, who had 15 kills and five errors in the match (.208 hitting %). Bickmore continued her strong run up north, as she posted 10 kills to finish second on the team, one ahead of Fernandez, who finished third with nine. Madeline DeLucia (SO/Happy Valley, OR) had 20 assists, one behind Rachel Lim (FR/La Palma, CA), who had 21. Dodge had 27 digs to lead the team, setting a new high for #23 in her first year of competition. Bellfi got herself a double-double by adding in 17 digs, one ahead of Fernandez, who had 16. The team had eight aces and 24 block assists, with Arellano helping on seven blocks alone to pace the squad.
What was said? "This was a great trip to find cohesion," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn. "So many people stepped up in their positions and Victoria had a fantastic serving run for us in the fourth set that helped us get back into a position to finish off the match. This weekend was a big step forward that we really needed."
What's Next? The Lions will head south to conclude the road portion of their schedule, as the team will play San Diego Christian on Saturday, November 6, at 2:00 p.m.
