COSTA MESA – Vanguard hit .305 as a team to knock off San Diego Christian in straight sets in women's volleyball action Saturday night at Orange Coast College.
The Lions posted a 25-17, 25-19, 25-23 victory to claim their ninth win in a row and maintain their lead atop the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Lions improved to 18-5 overall and 8-1 in the GSAC, while the Hawks fell to 1-13 and 0-9 in conference play.
Vanguard hit above .300 for the second time in its last three matches. The Lions also had an effective block going, winning that battle by a 10.5-2.0 count.
Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) earned her fifth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 10 digs while hitting .346 (12-3-26). Delaney Hill (FR/Foothill Ranch, CA) added nine kills on .350 hitting to go along with four block assists.
Hailey Petersen (SR/Omaha, NE) and Morgan Cole (FR/Bakersfield, CA) chipped in seven kills apiece. Petersen hit .417 and Cole .333, respectively. Petersen also had a pair of solo stuffs and five total blocks.
Blair Dodge (SO/Aliso Viejo, CA) matched Fernandez in the digs department with 10. Setter Madeline DeLucia (JR/Happy Valley, OR) dished out 19 assists, while teammate Rachel Lim (SO/La Palma, CA) had 16 of her own.
The Hawks were led by Anuhea Kahoi with eight kills and a match-high 13 digs. Kahoi had a solid match hitting .389 on a night when her team swung at just a .021 clip overall.
What Happened?: The Lions started slowly, falling behind by as much as five points in set one. The Hawks opened up their first five-point lead at 9-4 on a double block from Teresa Ochoa and Montana DiSegna. San Diego Christian maintained a 12-7 lead after a VU service error.
But the Lions crept back little by little. Payton Darm (SO/San Juan Capistrano, CA), who hit .375 with four kills and five blocks, did some damage as part of a 12-3 run as VU opened up a 19-15 advantage. During the run, Darm had three kills and two blocks.
The Lions continued to run away with six of the last eight points to take the 25-17 victory. Petersen accounted for the final three points with two kills and a solo stuff.
VU controlled the early portion of set two but had to hold on late as SDCC hung around. The Lions cranked out the first six points – all on the serve of DeLucia – to force a Hawk timeout.
SDCC fought back within 6-4, and closed within one point at 9-8 before the Lions pressed the gas pedal again. Two kills apiece from Hill and Petersen contributed to a 6-1 VU run and a 15-9 lead. But the Hawks rallied with two separate three-point runs to eventually trim the Lion edge to 20-19 as VU called timeout. The Lions had four errors during that stretch to let the Hawks back in it.
The timeout worked wonders as the Blue and Gold responded with the final five points to grab the 25-19 victory. VU ended the set on a Jessica Yamamoto (SO/Aiea, HI) ace.
SDCC did not relent in set three, staying even with the Lions and forging ties at 5-5, 7-7 and 8-8. Trailing 8-7, the Hawks reeled off four straight points – the last two on Kaohi kills to lead 11-8.
The Hawks continued to nurse a three-point advantage at 14-11 when the Lions went on a 7-2 spurt. Adeline Galvanoni (FR/Chandler, AZ) made her first appearance of the match and contributed a pair of kills during that stretch.
Leading 18-16, the Lions traded points with the Hawks until another Galvanoni kill triggered a SDCC timeout with VU now up 21-18. Petersen's solo block gave VU a four-point edge, but the Hawks weren't done as two Lion errors and a Josilyn Remick ace brought SDCC within 22-21.
Petersen's kill made it 23-21, but two VU miscues tied the set at 23-all. But the Lions did not break, getting the final two points, the clinching one on Cole's kill.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions matched their longest winning streak since a 10-match run in 2019. VU also sits atop the GSAC at the midway point of the conference schedule.
What Was Said?: "Our coach talks a lot about process and how if we stick to it, good things will happen," said Fernandez. "I think tonight was a little bit shaky in some ways, but obviously we came around and worked with one another. We had grit. Super stoked for this upcoming week. We're excited to see how it plays out."
What's Next?: It's a showdown between the top two teams in the GSAC standings as Vanguard hosts second place Westmont on Tuesday, October 11 at Calvary Chapel High School. First serve is 7:00 p.m. It is also a VU Roar Game.
