ATHERTON, Calif. – Vanguard women's volleyball hit the road Friday night after three straight home matches. Fighting through a delayed flight and long drive to Atherton, VU could not overcome the Menlo Oaks, falling 3-1. The Lions only won set three 25-18, losing the other three 25-21, 25-18, and 25-18. Vanguard falls to 18-7 overall and 8-3 in Golden State Athletic Conference play, while the Oaks improve to 10-9 overall and 6-4 in GSAC action.
What Happened?
The Lions did not seem distracted early on, as the Blue and Gold looked like the sharper team. Hailey Petersen (SR/Omaha, NE) slammed the first kill of the match down on a pass from Madeline DeLucia (JR/Happy Valley, OR) and VU would score the next four points as well, with Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) chipping in an ace. The Oaks rallied for three points but the Lions answered with three of their own to take an 8-3 lead, as Morgan Cole (FR/Bakersfield, CA), Payton Darm (SO/San Juan Capistrano, CA), and Adeline Galvanoni (FR/Chandler, AZ) each put down kills. But the tide soon moved in the other direction, as Menlo put up a 7-2 run to tie the match at 10-10. Undeterred, Vanguard forced the Oaks into some attacking errors, with Natalie Escher (SR/Redlands, CA) making a good run from the service line to bump VU ahead 14-10. The visitors remained in the lead at 16-13 but from there, the Oaks washed out the lead, as an 8-1 onslaught propelled the home side ahead 21-17. The Lions did rally, with Cole blasting another ball down to get VU the ball back. Rachel Lim (SO/La Palma, CA) dished out an ace and kills from Callie Bickmore (JR/Auburn, CA) and Fernandez leveled the set at 21-all. But Vanguard would not lead again, with the Oaks taking the next four points to claim the first set 25-21. VU hit .019 while the Oaks hit .078 in the opening set.
DeLucia started off the second period with an ace but Menlo caught a wave and rode it out to a 6-2 lead. The Lions tried to tread water as the set moved along, with the team closing the gap to three points at a couple of different stages. Unfortunately, every time they did, the Oaks would take off again, as VU would never tie or take the lead again, falling 25-18. The Lions hit .065 in the frame and the Oaks hit .244, their best rate of the match.
Darm dove in for the opening kill of the third set and this time, neither side could establish a lasting early advantage. Fernandez and Gabby Mackenzie exchanged kills for each side, as Menlo tip-toed out to a 6-3 edge. Petersen and Cole notched kills to tie the set at 6-6, with Petersen splashing down for another kill to give the Lions a slim lead 7-6 lead. The score remained close until it was 10-all, but from there, Vanguard found some wind to fill its sails. A perfectly-placed kill from Delaney Hill (FR/Foothill Ranch, CA) started a 7-2 hot streak for the Lions, as the Oaks hurt themselves along the way with some attacking errors. Fernandez and Cole got a couple of late kills and more errors by the home side allowed VU to claim the third set 25-18 to stave off defeat. Vanguard hit a match-best .241, holding the Oaks to a .091 clip.
The Lions would hold the Oaks to their worst attack percentage of the match in the fourth set but it would not be enough. Menlo paddled out to a 5-1 lead to start, but Fernandez, Hill, and Petersen each landed kills to cut the gap to 7-5. However, a 7-0 run sapped a lot of energy from the Blue and Gold, who soon found themselves trailing 20-10. The Lions did not roll over though, as the team got a couple more kills from Fernandez and took advantage of some Menlo errors to roll out an 8-3 run of their own. But it would not be enough, as a service error by VU and an ace by Menlo closed out the night, as the Oaks claimed the fourth set 25-18 and the match 3-1. VU hit .114 and the Oaks hit .077 in the final period.
It was a slow night offensively for the Lions, who hit .095 for the match, with 41 kills and 27 errors. Menlo hit at a .126 rate on the night. The team stats were pretty close between the two programs, with VU having a lead in assists (39-38) and solo blocks (4-1). Menlo held leads in aces (8-7), digs (70-67), and block assists (18-10). Individually for the Lions, Fernandez had a quality night, as she tallied 12 kills to lead the team and 16 digs to finish second in that department. Cole had eight kills and Petersen was third with seven. DeLucia had 18 assists and Lim had 17. Blair Dodge (SO/Aliso Viejo, CA) paced the lineup with 18 digs, with DeLucia third with 10. Both Darm and Hill each had four block assists to lead the team.
Why is it Important? The teams split the season series, making the all-time record between the two sides 16-5 in favor of VU. The Lions had entered the night on a three-game unbeaten run against Menlo. Westmont was ideal Friday, leaving VU one game behind the Warriors in the standings. Life Pacific also lost on the night, putting them a half-game back of the Lions. Westmont will play The Master's tomorrow.
What's Next? The Lions will complete the Northern California tour by taking on Jessup tomorrow in Rocklin at 2:00 p.m.
