Surprise, Ariz. – Vanguard women's volleyball overcame a 2-0 deficit to force a deciding set, but could not complete the comeback as Arizona Christian pulled away with a dominant fifth set victory in a Golden State Athletic Conference match at Firestorm Recreation Center. Set scores were 25-16, 25-23, 21-25, 26-28, 15-7.
The Lions lost their third straight match to drop to 10-4 overall and 5-4 in the GSAC. The Firestorm moved to 12-6 overall and 3-6 in league action.
What Happened? Arizona Christian utilized a three-headed attack from Annabelle Camoirano, Delaney Frame and Krysta Petersen who combined for 55 of the team's 75 kills. The Firestorm hit .230 (75-32-187) in the match compared to .169 (44-18-154) efficiency for the Lions. Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) delivered her eighth consecutive double-double, posting a team-high 14 kills to go along with 13 digs.
Hailey Petersen (JR/Omaha, NE) and Danielle Bellfi (SR/Murrieta, CA) produced nine kills apiece, while Rainena Schenbeck Chang (SR/Aiea, HI) scooped up 14 digs. Madeline DeLucia (SO/Happy Valley, OR) handed out 31 assists. The VU block was on display once again, owning a 16.0-11.0 advantage at the net. Payton Darm (FR/San Juan Capistrano, CA) led the Lions with a match-high nine block assists.
Set One
Arizona Christian jumped out to an 8-2 lead but Vanguard answered with a 4-0 run thanks to a pair of kills from both Bellfi and Hailey Peterson to cut the lead to two. The deficit remained two at 13-11 but the Firestorm heated up to take eight of the next 11 points to go up by seven, 21-14. Three consecutive Frame kills ended the set as the Firestorm won 25-16.
Set Two
The Firestorm put the Lions in another early hole taking a 7-1 lead. But the Lions responded with a 5-0 run to pull within 7-6. Petersen teamed up with Gunther and Fernandez on back-to-back blocks as part of the spurt. VU continued to trail at 18-14 but a 6-2 run knotted the score at 20-apiece. The teams were still tied at 23-23 when the Firestorm conjured up kills from Kaeleigh Gibson and Camoirano, winning set two by a 25-23 score.
Set Three
Vanguard emerged with renewed vigor and stood its ground from the get go. Five early ties put the score at 6-6, but helped along by two Fernandez putaways, the Lions utilized a 6-2 run to grab a four-point advantage at 12-8. Arizona Christian pulled within one at 21-20, but would get no closer. Fernandez knocked down two more kills to close out the set as the Lions took the 25-21 victory. Fernandez had seven kills in the frame.
Set Four
The two teams worked overtime to decide the fourth set, but the Lions again emerged victorious. ACU led in the first half of the set, stepping out to a 13-10 lead thanks to a block from Petersen and Camoirano. VU scored three straight to even things up at 13-13. The Lions took their first lead in the set on a Camoirano attack error, 16-15, and extended the lead to 19-17 on a Blair Dodge (FR/Aliso Viejo, CA) service ace. The Firestorm answered with a 5-2 run to sneak ahead at 22-21, but Darm and Bellfi teamed up to snuff Gibson to tie it at 22-22. The two squads were tied four more times before Fernandez provided more late set heroics, pounding back-to-back kills to give the Lions a 28-26 triumph.
Set Five
Vanguard took a 1-0 lead on a double block from DeLucia and Callie Bickmore (SO/Auburn, CA), but that was the last time the Lions led. Down 4-2, the Lions surrendered seven straight points as ACU took an 11-2 lead. VU was down double digits at 14-4 but tried to battle back with three straight points to make it 14-7. However, a VU service error ended the set and the match, 15-7.
Why Is It Important?: The three straight losses have dropped the Lions into a fourth place tie at 5-4 in the GSAC standings with Life Pacific and San Diego Christian.
What's Next?: Vanguard will take a break from GSAC competition, traveling to non-conference foe La Sierra next Tuesday for a 6:00 p.m. match in Riverside.
