SAN DIMAS, Calif. – Trailing two sets to none, the Vanguard women's volleyball team went into comeback mode and pulled off the 23-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 15-13 victory over Life Pacific on Friday at Hicks Court.

The Lions improved to 21-10 and 11-6 in the Golden State Athletic Conference, tied for second with Jessup in the standings. The Warriors dropped to 14-9 and 11-6 in conference play.

Morgan Cole (FR/Bakersfield, CA) posted a double-double with 19 kills and 13 digs – her 10th of the season – and hit .262 for the match. Adeline Galvanoni (FR/Chandler, AZ) and Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) each collected 12 kills.

Hailey Petersen (SR/Omaha, NE) hit .400 (7-1-15) with seven kills and Callie Bickmore (JR/Auburn, CA) joined her with seven of her own. Bickmore also hit a solid .294. Payton Darm (SO/San Juan Capistrano, CA) was an efficient .750 with six kills in eight errorless attacks.

The setter duo of Madeline DeLucia (JR/Happy Valley, OR) and Rachel Lim (SO/La Palma, CA) distributed the ball evenly with 31 and 30 assists, respectively.

Blair Dodge (SO/Aliso Viejo, CA) led the defense with 20 digs, followed by 17 from Natalie Escher (SR/Redlands, CA).

VU had a dominant block, winning that battle 13.0-6.0. Darm and Petersen posted five stuffs apiece.

What Happened?: The Lions lost two tight sets by identical 25-23 scores to find themselves in a 2-0 hole, but heated up in the third and fourth sets. The Lions hit .351 (17-4-37) in the third set and nearly replicated that line in the fourth, finishing at .342 (17-4-38) efficiency.

That led to the winner-take-all fifth set, in which Life Pacific churned out an early 5-2 lead. Hannah Caddow had two of her match-high 20 kills during the start for the Warriors.

The Lions stormed back with a 5-1 run to take a 7-6 lead, as Caddow committed two errors followed by Petersen and Cole kills.

The two teams were tied twice – at 9-9 and 12-12 – and a Caddow slam gave Life Pacific a one-point lead.

But VU came up clutch and took the next three points to take the 15-13 win. Fernandez and Darm teamed up to stuff Caddow to tie the score. Fernandez put down her 12th kill on the next play, and DeLucia served up an ace on match point as VU earned its second reverse sweep of the season.

The Lions took set four after going on a 9-3 run to turn a 6-5 deficit into a 14-9 lead. Victoria Verceles (SR/Long Beach, CA) was at the service line for five straight points during the run. VU led by as many as seven at 21-14 on Cole's kill before settling for the 25-19 win.

In set three, the Lions jumped out to a 10-6 advantage and extended the lead to 14-9 on DeLucia's ace. The Warriors pulled back to 14-12 with three consecutive points, but a pair of Cole kills helped VU extend the lead to 18-13.

Cole hammered another kill to widen the lead to 21-14 and VU got the 25-19 victory.

The Lions battled back from a 16-10 deficit in set one to pull within one at 24-23, but Caddow's kill enabled Life Pacific to take the first set.

In set two, VU trailed 22-17, but Petersen and Bickmore posted kills and then combined on a block of Caddow to make it 24-20. The Lions scored three more points – all on Warrior attack errors – to stave off four set points. But a VU service error allowed the Warriors to win 25-23.

Why Is It Important?: The win sets up an exciting finish for the regular season as teams jockey for position in the GSAC Tournament. William Jessup can clinch the No. 2 seed and a first round bye with a win on Saturday against Westmont. WJU owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with a 2-0 record against VU. If the Warriors lose, VU can snatch the No. 2 seed with a win against Hope International. The Lions can finish no worse than the No. 3 seed.

What Was Said?: "Tonight was an amazing match between two teams that were playing with all heart," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn. "We struggled with getting a rhythm going the first two sets, and honestly our girls had enough. It was time to fight back. I'm so proud of their tenacity. This was one of the most fun, stressful matches I've coached in awhile! Shoutout to Morgan with 19 kills, Natalie with 17 digs and some big saves in middle back, and Victoria with some big service runs for us!"

What's Next?: Vanguard hosts Hope International for Senior Day on Saturday at Orange Coast College. First serve is 7:00 p.m.