Costa Mesa – Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) pounded a team-high 12 kills to lead Vanguard women's volleyball to a four-set victory over The Master's in the GSAC opener for both schools on Friday night at The Pit. Set scores were 23-25, 25-14, 26-24, 25-20. The Lions improved to 4-0 on the season while the Mustangs fell to 4-7.

What Happened?: Vanguard posted a school single-match record 13 solo blocks and finished with a commanding 17.0-3.0 edge in total blocks over The Master's. Vanguard recorded 38 kills and hit .215 as a team, led by a .455 (6-1-11) effort from Jordan Doiron (SO/Temecula, CA). Defensively, Kynzey Mitzel (SR/Tigard, OR) scooped up 12 digs and Samantha Arellano (SR/Tulare, CA) notched four of the team's 13 solo books. Danielle Bellfi (SR/Murrieta, CA) and Hailey Petersen (JR/Omaha, NE) both posted five total blocks.

SET 1

Vanguard held leads of 10-6 and 14-11 but a 6-2 run gave the Mustangs their first lead at 17-16. The Master's extended their advantage to 23-18 on a service ace, but Vanguard climbed back to 24-23 with five of the next six points. But a service error allowed The Master's to take the set 25-23.

SET 2

The Master's looked in control early in set two as four consecutive Emily Clark service aces gave the Mustangs a 5-1 lead. But a 6-2 run gave VU an 8-7 edge. At 8-8, the Lions went on a 9-1 run punctuated by a Callie Bickmore (SO/Auburn, CA) kill, giving them a 17-9 lead. Madeline DeLucia (SO/Happy Valley, OR) then took over at the service line and offered up a pair of aces as part of a 6-0 run. The Master's couldn't get any closer than 10 points and VU ran away with a 25-14 victory. VU hit .261 (9-3-23) in the frame while limiting The Master's to -.061 (6-8-33) efficiency.

SET 3

Set 3 was a back-and-forth affair early on as the two teams were deadlocked at 5-5. Vanguard took a 9-5 lead as a Doiron block finished off a 4-0 run. VU continued to lead by four at 14-10, but the Mustangs reeled off eight straight points to force the Lions to call timeout. Trailing 18-14, VU turned the tide again with a 5-1 run as two Bellfi kills helped knot the set at 19-19. The Master's had set point at 24-23, but three consecutive kills by Fernandez sealed the 26-24 win.

SET 4

Vanguard stormed out to a 6-1 lead thanks to two blocks from Arellano and another from Petersen. The Lions pushed their advantage to 13-7 and continued to lead at 17-13 when a 4-1 Mustang run trimmed the deficit to 18-17. But VU scored of the next seven points to go up 24-18. The Lions took the set and the match when a Mustang service error gave VU the 25-20 victory.

Why Is It Important? Vanguard has started out 4-0 three times in the five-year tenure of head coach Jennifer Dorn. VU moved to 1-0 in the GSAC in front of a raucous student contingent on "White Out" night at The Pit.

What's Next: The Lions hit the road for the first time this season, taking on No. 15 Westmont on Saturday in Santa Barbara. First serve is at 7:00 p.m.