Costa Mesa -- Vanguard women's volleyball hit the court for the first time this year Friday night as the team welcomed the Mariners of Marymount to the Pit.  While the Mariners played VU close in the first set, the Lions took the opening period and blasted away to two more set wins to sweep MCU 3-0, with scores of 25-22, 25-13, & 25-16.

What Happened? Set one started with the Blue and Gold jumping out to a big lead, going up 8-1 and then 11-2.  Callie Bickmore (SO/Auburn, CA) and Danielle Bellfi (SR/Murrieta, CA) notched the first two kills of the season as the squad hummed along.  Marymount then found their footing and pushed back, going on a 10-4 run to close to gap to 15-12.  However, the big night for the middles kept the visitors at an arm's length, as Bailey Olbur (SO/Las Vegas, NV) and Bickmore helped to recover the momentum.  Jordan Doiron (SO/Temecula, CA) put the final kill down to give set one to the home side 25-22.  VU hit .119 in the first but held the Mariners to .108.

The second set saw the Lions once more ride out to an 8-1 lead, but this time the Mariners would not catch back up during the middle stages of the set.  Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) got a couple of kills and splashed down with an ace to put the team up 15-9.  Long service runs from Madeline DeLucia (SO/Happy Valley, OR) and Blair Dodge (FR/Aliso Viejo, CA) pushed the Lions to a comfortable set two victory 25-13.  VU hit at a .333 clip, while MCU was limited to a .040 rate.

Marymount did not let Vanguard get out to such a huge lead in the third, with VU going up 6-2 over the first few rallies.  Payton Darm (FR/Laguna Niguel, CA) got the Lions back on track though and the lead soon grew to 12-6.  Kate Phillips (FR/Coeur d'Alene, ID) got an ace to make it 19-12 and then Olbur blasted one of the biggest kills of the night to the deck to make it 21-15.  Fernandez put the final kill down to take set three 25-16, sending the good-sized opening night crowd to their feet for a standing ovation.  The Lions hit .216 in the final set while holding the Mariners to .057.

The team hit .208 on the night.  DeLucia put up 20 assists, with Rachel Lim (FR/La Palma, CA) adding in nine.  Olbur paced the lineup with 11 kills, with Bickmore and Fernandez each recording eight.  The team also produced eight services aces on the night.

What they said: "It felt good to be out on the court with fans," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn.  "A good start to see where our strengths and weaknesses are and what to pursue in the gym for this next week."

Why it's important? The Lions continue their opening-day success, as they have now won their opening match each year since they lost to Viterbo in 2014.  VU also keeps a perfect record against Marymount, with the series now favoring the Lions 3-0.

What's next: Wednesday, September 1, 6:00 p.m. against the University of Saint Katherine.