Surprise, Ariz. -- Vanguard made their return to Arizona Friday night, after the restrictions of last year kept the Arizona schools from taking on the Western Division teams until the championship game. Ottawa University of Arizona entered as the #20 team in the NAIA and they did not slip up, handing the Lions a 3-1 defeat. With scores of 17-25, 25-19, 20-25, and 22-25, VU falls to 10-3 overall and 5-3 in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
What Happened? Things looked promising to start the first set, as Vanguard got a quick kill and an ace from Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) to open up the scoring. An ace from Blair Dodge (FR/Aliso Viejo, CA) a few rallies later helped to increase the lead to 5-2. But then the Spirit (14-2, 7-1) bounced back to tie the game. The teams exchanged leads but from a 12-12 tie, OUAZ would post a 13-5 run to take the opening frame 25-17. VU hit .065 in the first set.
Set Two
Set two started even until Fernandez again gave the Blue and Gold the lead with a quality kill. A couple of errors from the Spirit and a kill for Hailey Petersen (JR/Omaha, NE) put the Lions up 7-4. Callie Bickmore (SO/Auburn, CA) then got a good pass and buried a ball to double up OUAZ 12-6 and force the hosts to take a timeout. The lead would stay steady at five points until the Spirit made a 4-1 run late to make the score 20-19 in favor of VU. A timeout by the Lions negated the momentum and the squad scored the next five points in a row to swipe the second set 25-19. VU hit .219 in the period, their best mark of the match.
Set Three
This time, the Lions would trail early, as the Spirit maneuvered out to a 7-3 lead. Fernandez and Payton Darm (FR/San Juan Capistrano, CA) slowly got the Lions back into it with a couple of kills but Ottawa would not let VU get closer than four points out. Vanguard made their move late in the set, taking three straight points to make the scoreboard read 23-20 OUAZ, but it would not be enough, and Ottawa took set three 25-20. The Lions hit .170 in the set.
Set Four
Down 6-2 out of the gate, VU had Fernandez post a couple of kills and two more aces to help tie the game at 10-10. The lead then bounced between the two teams, with Danielle Bellfi (SR/Murrieta, CA) helping to keep VU on pace with the Spirit. A couple of attack errors by Ottawa put Vanguard up 16-13 and the squad would hold that slim lead as the match moved towards the 20s. The Spirit then knotted up the score at 20-all but Fernandez quickly put the Lions back up by one. But Ottawa rode the crowd and the momentum to put up a 5-1 run to hold on for the 25-22 set victory and the match win to boot.
VU hit .143 in the game and Fernandez had 19 kills to lead the lineup. #11 also posted 10 digs to record another double-double for her stellar season. Bellfi again reached 10 kills while Petersen had seven. Madeline DeLucia (SO/Happy Valley, OR) had 21 assists and Rachel Lim (FR/La Palma, CA) had 23. Lim also was second on the team with 15 digs, as Rainena Schenbeck Chang (SR/Aiea, HI) paced the squad with 19 digs. VU had eight aces and 18 block assists for the contest.
Why is it Important? VU is now tied with San Diego Christian for third in the standings, one game behind second-place Westmont. This is also the first victory by the Spirit in the series.
What's next? Vanguard will play at Arizona Christian tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.
