COSTA MESA, Calif. - The Vanguard University Women's Volleyball team (4-3, 1-2) was able to hold off a late push by Hope International University (0-5, 0-3) to earn their first victory in conference play. Hailey Petersen (SO/Omaha, NE) recorded a career-high 18 kills on a .412 hitting percentage while Kynzey Mitzel (JR/Tigard, OR) would tally 39 digs, the third-best mark in Vanguard's history.
What Happened? Sofia Ramdhani paced the Royals with two block assists in the early going of set one as the Lions were able to maintain a three-point lead. With an 11-8 lead, the Pride would find their groove offensively, going on an 11-3 run thanks to three kills from Danielle Bellfi (JR/Murrieta, CA) and two more from Cambria Fernandez (JR/Northridge, CA). Vanguard would record a .441 attacking percentage en route to a 25-13 first-set victory.
Set two was much more competitive as it featured fourteen ties and five lead changes before a kill by Brooke Beresford would tie things up at 19. The Lions would go up by two before HIU responded and was able to pull ahead by one. Eventually, two attacking errors by the Lions would allow the Royals to tie things up at one set apiece by a score of 27-25. After recording eight kills and eight errors in the first set, Hope International would record a .192 hitting percentage in the second.
Hailey Petersen was able to reach double-digit kills in the second set, and Belfi was able to reach that mark early in the third set as the Lions jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the third set. The Royals went on a mini-run to tie things up, but two service aces by Fernandez would force a timeout by the Royals. Tristan Michael (FR/Scottsdale, AZ) would record a kill and a block assist to maintain a three-point cushion for the Pride. Peterson would reach her career-high in kills with 14 in the third set as the Lions would earn a 25-18 victory.
The Royals would go on a 12-4 run to open up the fourth set as they recorded five kills and only one error. The Lions' offense stalled and the Royals took advantage, recording their best hitting percentage of the game so far (.209) to force a decisive fifth set. Vanguard is no stranger to fifth-set action as this would be the fourth occurrence in seven games.
The Blue and Gold would get out to a 6-0 run to open up the fifth before the visitors settled in and cut the deficit back down to two. Petersen would continue her career night as she was able to find the hardwood on back-to-back occasions to make it a 12-9 game. Fernandez would put the Royals on the brink with a kill and Bailey Olbur (FR/Las Vegas, NV)'s kill would seal the deal as the Lions would continue their streak of every win this year coming in five sets.
Why It's Important? The Lions now boast a 45-6 all-time record over the Royals while earning their first victory in conference play. Kynzey Mitzel and Peterson would set personal/school bests in the match. With the win, Head Coach JP Dorn needs only two more wins for number 75 in her career with the Lions.
Top Performers: Hailey Petersen recorded a career-high 18 kills on a .412 hitting percentage while Cambria Fernandez (14) and Danielle Bellfi (13) also recorded double-digit kills. Madeline DeLucia (FR/Happy Valley, OR) dished out 49 assists to go with 15 digs, while Mitzel would tally 39 digs which would be the third-best mark in Vanguard's history.
What They Said: "Coach was really emphasizing running Hope's offense, so our whole team was focused on mirroring their team and we were practice playing against them," said Danielle Bellfi. "Once we got in the game, we weren't guessing or unfamiliar with what they were running, and we were just really focused on being gritty and coming out on top, so it was a really fun match. A five-setter is always fun to play, but it feels good to get the win."
What's Next: A rematch against the Royals that will take place Wednesday, February 24th at 6:00 p.m.
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