SANTA ANA, Calif. – The OUAZ Spirit arrived in town on Saturday to take on the Vanguard women's volleyball team. The Lions had looked refreshed in their win against Arizona Christian on Friday, but the Spirit came out with a desire to make the upset happen. OUAZ pulled ahead in a couple of key moments that allowed them to take the match 3-1. OUAZ won with set scores of 25-20, 28-26, 11-25, and 25-21. VU drops to 19-9 overall and 9-5 in Golden State Athletic Conference play. OUAZ improves to 13-11 overall and 8-7 in conference play.
What Happened? The Spirit took the first point of the game but Hailey Petersen (SR/Omaha, NE) replied right away to put the Lions on the board. Both squads threw down a couple more kills but VU garnered the first multiple-point lead at 6-4 thanks to an attack error and a kill from Adeline Galvanoni (FR/Chandler, AZ). OUAZ then leveled the score and both sides exchanged points, keeping the score pretty much level until it was 14-all. The Spirit then inched out to a 17-14 advantage but Petersen helped to bring the gap back to one with a fine kill. However, two unanswered kills from the Spirit forced the Lions to call a timeout. Unfortunately, it did not slow the OUAZ attack, as the Spirit jumped out to a 23-18 lead, resulting in VU calling its second timeout. Morgan Cole (FR/Bakersfield, CA) nailed a kill out of the break but OUAZ took two of the next three points to claim the first set 25-20. The Spirit hit a match-best .325 in the period, with the Lions hitting .225.
The second set started off much more promising for the Blue and Gold, as the team took a 2-2 tie and stretched it into an 8-4 lead thanks to kills from Delaney Hill (FR/Foothill Ranch, CA) and Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA). However, the quick 6-2 outburst was negated by the Spirit, who hustled to put up a 5-1 run. Petersen then tied the set at 9-9 and once more, the teams remained in lockstep as the rallies went by. OUAZ grabbed a 16-14 edge but an attack error and another strike from Hill put the Lions on level terms at 16-16. But the Spirit once again made their move in the later stages of the frame, as OUAZ snuck out to a 21-18 lead. Vanguard got back in the fight thanks to an attack error and a strike from Cole, closing the gap to 21-20 and forcing OUAZ to call a timeout. Fernandez then flicked down an ace to even the score at 21-21, but OUAZ took the next two points, with the Blue and Gold taking its last timeout. The pendulum then swung back in favor of the home side, with Cole netting a kill and another mistake by the Spirit resulting in a tie score at 23-all. Four rallies later, the score was still tied, but an attack error by the visitors put VU in the driver's seat 25-24. The Spirit called their final timeout and put up two straight points to grab the favorable position at 26-25. Hill once again rose to the occasion, putting a ball down to tie the set at 26-26. However, the Lions could not get over the hump, as Ottawa scored the next two points to take set two 28-26. OUAZ hit at a .096 rate while VU hit at a .120 mark.
Things finally came together for the Lions in the third period, as the team chugged away early to keep any thoughts of a sweep at bay. Rachel Lim (SO/La Palma, CA) had a great run behind the service line, as she put up 10 serves in a row, going through both OUAZ timeouts to boot. The Blue and Gold changed their attacking game plan, as the team used more tips to get over the block of the Spirit, with Hill and Payton Darm (SO/San Juan Capistrano, CA) each picking up a few kills during the run. OUAZ got the ball back on an attack error but Vanguard had already established a 13-3 lead. The positive energy could not be halted by the Spirit, despite a short run of five unanswered points. Ahead 14-7, the Lions would end the set by outscoring the visitors 11-4, winning the set 25-11. Vanguard hit at a match-best rate of .304, with the Spirit hitting at a -.281 mark.
The fourth set also seemed to look good out of the gate for Vanguard, with a kill from Petersen putting VU ahead 1-0. The Lions soon had a 3-0 edge and kept that train going courtesy of a couple of kills from Cole to make it 6-2. OUAZ cut the lead to 6-4 but Fernandez and a few Ottawa errors put the home side ahead 9-4. However, the Spirit restarted their motor and threw up four straight points to cut the deficit to 9-8. Even though Fernandez got a kill to halt the flow, it was only a temporary stoppage. A 6-2 run from there put the Spirit in ahead 14-12 and they would not relinquish their advantage. The Lions did rally to make things close, as the team slashed away at the five points gap. Kills from Hill and Cole, along with an ace from Victoria Verceles (SR/Long Beach, CA), brought VU into striking range at 19-16. A 5-2 streak pulled VU tantalizingly close at 21-20, but that was as close as it got. The Spirit got four of the next five points to claim the fourth set 25-21, taking the match 3-1. OUAZ hit at a .132 clip, with VU hitting .000.
Vanguard had 50 kills and 29 errors for the match, which gave the team a .128 attack percentage on the day. The team had more assists and kills than OUAZ, but the Spirit held a 79-75 edge in digs and a 6-3 lead in aces. Cole led the Blue and Gold in kills with 13, with Petersen next at 11, and Fernandez third with 10. Lim had 24 assists and Madeline DeLucia (JR/Happy Valley, OR) had 19. Cole and Fernandez had double-doubles for the match, as both Cole and Fernandez had 13 digs to pace the lineup. Blair Dodge (SO/Aliso Viejo, CA) and Lim had 12 digs and Natalie Escher (SR/Redlands, CA) had 11. Darm and Cole led the team with three block assists each.
Why is it Important? VU is now 7-3 all-time against OUAZ, as the Spirit have taken three of the past four matches. Despite the loss, results around the GSAC favored the Lions, who remain in second place in the standings, three games behind Westmont. Life Pacific is tied with the Lions with nine wins but VU owns the tiebreaker as of now.
What's Next? The team will have six days off to regroup and prepare for the final road trip of the season. VU will not have an easy task up first, as the team will take on Westmont next Friday, October 28, at 7:00 p.m.
