COSTA MESA, Calif. – Vanguard women's volleyball (7-5) played their second game of the week and picked up their second straight win, as they swept La Sierra University (3-3) by 25-18, 25-16, 27-25 counts. The Pride will now embark on a three-game road trip before coming back to The Pit.
What Happened? The start of the first set was all about runs as LSU jumped out to a 6-2 lead before the Lions came back to tie things at 10-10. From then on, Vanguard would obtain three-point leads, while the Golden Eagles would come back to tie it up again. The Blue and Gold road service from Victoria Verceles (SO/Long Beach, CA) from a 17-19 to 25-18 score. During the second period, the offense was the most potent for the Lions as they posted a game high .342 attacking percentage with 17 kills and only four errors. It was close through the first 20 points, just like the first set, but this time Danielle Bellfi (JR/Murrieta, CA) and Cambria Fernandez (JR/Northridge, CA) used a five-point run to claim the second set. With their eyes set on a sweep, Vanguard was in for a tough test. La Sierra played some of their best volleyball during the final set, but the kept clawing. It wasn't until 22-21 when they grabbed their first lead of the set. Each team had a chance at set point before Samantha Arellano (JR/Tulare, CA) blocked the final attack by LSU to seal the win.
Why It's Important? The win moves the Blue and Gold to 12-0 all-time against the Golden Eagles and officially finished non-conference play for the rest of the season. Vanguard has only six regularly scheduled games left, with four of them occurring on the road.
Top Performers: Fernandez was an offense all to herself as she recorded a match high 19 kills on an incredibly efficient .516 hitting rate. Bellfi and Bailey Olbur (FR/Las Vegas, NV) each added eight kills with Arellano and Mallorie Post (SR/Federal Way, WA) recorded six each. Chandler Nelson (SO/Colorado Springs, CO) once again got the start at setter and handed out 42 assists. Three Lions recorded double digit digs, led by Fernandez with 12, while Kenzy Mitzel posted 11 and Verceles 10. Bellfi and Nelson just missed the cut with nine each.
What They Said: Cambria Fernandez – "This week we really focused on serve-receive passing and wanted to be able to really build that team unity together. Honestly, we didn't know much about La Sierra, so we just came in ready fight and ready to work, and it paid off."
What's Next: Thursday, March 16th on the road at Hope International University starting at 6:00 p.m.
#ClawsUp
