COSTA MESA, Calif. – Hailey Petersen (JR/Omaha, NE) posted a season-high 14 kills and Vanguard's powerful block overwhelmed Arizona Christian in a four-set women's volleyball victory Friday night at The Pit. Set scores went 25-22, 25-17, 21-25, 25-17.
What Happened?: Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) notched her 13th double-double of the season with a 12-kill, 15-dig effort, and Bailey Olbur (SO/Las Vegas, NV) chipped in eight kills on .389 (8-1-18) hitting as the Lions won for the third time in their last four matches. Olbur also had a career-best eight stuffs at the net.
The Lions hit -.089 in the third set, but had one of their more solid nights in terms of hitting efficiency overall. Vanguard hit .273 in the first set, .385 in the second and .294 in the decisive fourth.
Vanguard had nine solo blocks and held a dominating 18.0-5.0 blocking advantage for the match. Olbur tallied three of the solo blocks. Kynzey Mitzel (SR/Tigard, OR) patrolled the back row and scooped up 21 digs for the Lions.
Set One
Both teams went back-and-forth in the early going as the match started with five straight ties. Vanguard jumped out to a 12-9 lead but Arizona Christian went on an 8-2 run to take a 17-14 advantage. The Firestorm led 19-16 following a VU attack error and timeout, but the Lions regained momentum out of the break with six straight points, finished off an a double roof from Olbur and Petersen. Up 22-19, the Lions conceded a couple of points as ACU closed to 22-21, but Bellfi ended the set with one of her nine kills.
Set Two
Vanguard led 7-6 but exploded with nine of the next 11 points to take a 16-8 lead as Olbur capped the run with a kill. Jordon Doiron and Callie Bickmore (SO/Auburn, CA) teamed up to stuff Logan Schroeder for a 19-13 Lion lead, and the Firestorm never threatened from there. Fernandez finished off ACU with a kill to give VU the 25-17 set two wins.
Set Three
The Firestorm forced the Lions into 12 hitting errors but didn't fare much better with nine miscues of their own, but were able to eke out the four-point win. The two teams were tied at 6-6, but ACU sped off on a 6-1 run to take a 12-7 lead on a McKenzie Omoruyi putaway. Hattey Smith's ace gave ACU a 20-14 edge and forced a VU timeout – and the break again seemed to steady the Lions as they responded with a 5-1 run to close within 21-19. However, three Lion errors was enough for ACU to take the 25-21 triumph.
Set Four
Like the previous three sets, things were tight early on as the teams were tied at 6-6. Vanguard had an 11-10 lead but used a key 8-2 run to go up 19-12. Doiron and Bellfi teamed up twice for double blocks during the spurt. The Firestorm scored three straight, including a pair of kills from Annabelle Camoirano to reduce the deficit to 19-15, but Petersen doused any hope of a comeback with back-to-back kills. Bellfi ended the match with a kill and a service ace as the Lions took set four, 25-17.
Why Is It Important?: It is the final home weekend for seniors Mitzel, Bellfi, Rainena Schenbeck Chang (SR/Aiea, HI), Fernandez and Samantha Arellano (SR/Tulare, CA). The Lions are finishing strong after a tough midseason lapse.
What Was Said?: "I'm very proud of our girls tonight," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn. "We played clean, solid volleyball and kept the pressure on ACU. We struggled to keep our momentum in set 3, but I'm proud of our response in set 4."
What's Next: The Lions host No. 16 OUAZ on Senior Day tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. The five VU seniors will be honored in a pre-match ceremony.
