BUTTE, Mont. – The beginning of the Vanguard Athletic season kicked off in Montana Friday with the women's volleyball team playing in the Big Sky Challenge hosted by Montana Tech. The Lions were in the match until the end against Carroll but could not hold on in the fifth set, as the Saints snuck off with the win. Despite an early setback, the Blue and Gold responded with renewed determination and made a shocking takedown of No. 9 Viterbo in five sets to end the first day of the regular season 1-1.
What Happened?
Carroll 3 VU 2 (22-25, 25-23, 28-26, 26-24, 13-15)
Vanguard was down 3-0 in the first before Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) put down the first kill of the season off a pass from Rachel Lim (SO/La Palma, CA). But the Saints still remained in control, going up 8-2 before VU racked up three kills in a row from Payton Darm (SO/San Juan Capistrano, CA), Adeline Galvanoni (FR/Chandler, AZ), and Callie Bickmore (JR/Auburn, CA). Carroll continued to stay ahead in the first but the Lions put together their attack in the middle phase of the first set. Hailey Petersen (SR/Omaha, NE) smashed a ball down, with Fernandez following that up. A bad set by the Saints cut the gap to 15-13 but it would remain an uphill battle for VU. Another push came late in the frame, as back-to-back kills from Bickmore and Petersen made it a 23-22 deficit, but the Saints put the first set away with two-straight points. VU hit .146 in the first.
Galvanoni got the first point in the second set but the Lions would soon trail 6-2. Putting up a fight, a kill by Fernandez and an ace from Blair Dodge (SO/Aliso Viejo, CA) helped to slice the lead. Both teams were soon tied at 9-9 and no one could establish much of a lead, with the score remaining locked until it was 19-all. An attack error by the Saints made Carroll call a timeout and VU did not look back. An ace by Lim and kills from Fernandez and Darm sealed a second-set victory 25-23. The Lions hit .139 in the winning decision.
The third was also played pretty equally early on but the Saints then rode out a good wave to snag a 13-9 lead. VU did not throw in the towel though, and despite being down 20-15, they soon roared back. Kills by Bickmore and Petersen helped to trim the gap, with Fernandez and Galvanoni also chipping in. With some good play and some mistakes by Carroll, the set was soon all-square and neither could take a big advantage as the scores moved into the 20s. Tied at 25-all, the Saints got a kill but Morgan Cole (FR/Bakersfield, CA) had the answer to make it 26-26. An attack error by Carroll and a kill from Bickmore handed VU the huge comeback win 28-26, with Vanguard hitting .255 in the period.
It would be a teetering fourth set, with both sides poised to win at various stages. Carroll ran out to a 4-0 lead before VU picked up a pair of points. Down 6-2, some attack errors brought VU back to a 6-6 tie, with another attack error a few rallies later putting the Lions ahead 8-7. Both teams got small leads but those leads were soon walked back to neutral by the other side. Tied at 20-all, each time the Saints took a lead, they would give points back to the Blue and Gold, keeping the match knotted until it was 24-24. Despite some heroic saves, VU could not claim the win in the fourth, as Carroll collected the next two kills to swipe the set 26-24. VU hit .050 in the fourth.
The fifth set once more was a close dance between the two programs. Cole tied the score at 1-1 and the score would ping-pong until it was 6-6. Three straight points for the Saints forced VU to call a timeout, but the damage was done. Carroll would not let the scoreboard be tied again, and despite a late kill from Fernandez, the Saints took the set 15-13 to claim a 3-2 set victory. VU hit .286 in the fifth.
For the match, the Lions hit .169, with 70 kills and 38 errors. The squad had 81 digs and 15 total blocks. VU led each team statistical category over the Saints except for attack percentage. Fernandez was fed, posting 22 kills and recording 17 digs for a season-opening double-double. Cole was also part of the double-double club, posting 14 kills and 17 digs. Galvanoni had a great first appearance, getting 10 kills. Madeline DeLucia (JR/Happy Valley, OR) had 25 assists and Lim had 36. Dodge had 24 digs to open her season.
VU 3 Viterbo 2 (18-25, 22-25, 29-27, 25-17, 15-13)
Things did not start off well against the preseason No. 9 team. The V-Hawks pounded away early, going up 11-4 and keeping Vanguard at least five points in the rearview mirror, going on to take the first set 25-18. VU hit .154 in the first frame.
The second was a little more promising for the Lions despite once more going down big early. The damage done was a 12-5 gap, as Viterbo looked more seasoned after winning two games on Thursday. But the Lions started to find a rhythm later in the set. A 6-2 run fueled by some good defense and kills from Fernandez and Galvanoni cut the lead to 19-16. The V-Hawks again pushed back to snag a 24-17 lead but the Blue and Gold rattled off four straight points to make it 24-21. Viterbo called a timeout and unfortunately, it was the reset they needed, as the V-Hawks claimed set two 25-22. VU hit .094 in the period.
With the victory seeming to sail away, Vanguard denied that fate and swooped in for a spirited run. Down 3-0 early, Cole and Darm each put down kills to make it 5-4. Viterbo crept away to a 13-8 lead but Petersen dropped down a big kill and Cole slipped in an ace to slice the gap to 13-11. The V-Hawks then pushed their advantage to 19-12 and looked poised to win. Yet the Lions did not quit and the V-Hawks hurt themselves with a plethora of attack errors, helping VU come all the way back to tie the set at 20-20. Viterbo then took the next two points but a pair of errors helped VU stay in the contest. The V-Hawks then had a chance to put the set away at 25-24 but Fernandez and Galvanoni landed kills to put Vanguard ahead. The two teams battled on the edge and after a Galvanoni kill, a couple of errors by the V-Hawks handed VU the third set 29-27. The Lions hit .135 in the third.
Whatever was said between the third and the fourth set by Coach Jennifer Dorn and the rest of the team, it should be the plan of attack for the rest of the year. VU played on the front foot in the fourth, swarming out to a 4-1 lead. Viterbo soon recovered but could not tie the match. The Lions got kills from Cole and Petersen and an ace from Victoria Verceles (SR/Long Beach, CA) to double the lead to 12-6. The team kept a healthy lead the rest of the way, hitting .423 with 15 kills and four errors en route to a 25-17 victory in the frame.
That set things up for a tasty fifth set and the Lions again would be efficient on the attack, hitting .444 in the deciding set. Fernandez got the first kill of the frame to put VU up 2-1 but the V-Hawks would then go up 5-3. Darm and Delaney Hill (FR/Foothill Ranch, CA) each threw a ball down to keep the match within a point, with another Viterbo attack error leveling the score at 7-7. An ace from DeLucia and a kill from Cole put the Lions ahead 10-8, with Petersen chipping in another kill to put the lead at 11-9. But the V-Hawks sallied force and soon tied the game at 12-all. In the dying moments of the set, it would be the newcomers of Galvanoni and Hill who combined for three kills over the last four rallies to grab a 15-13 win in the fifth for Vanguard and an insane reverse sweep over the No. 9 team in the nation.
The Lions hit .223 for the match, with 59 kills and 28 errors. The V-Hawks were held to a .165 attack percentage in the match. The only statistical category the Lions did not win was aces, which Viterbo had a 10-5 edge in. Individually, Fernandez was again the leader in kills with 17, collecting 11 digs to go back-to-back in the double-double category. Petersen had 12 kills and only four errors to hit .320 in the match. Galvanoni and Cole each had eight. DeLucia had 33 assists and Lim had 21. Dodge paced the lineup with 19 digs, with Cole also getting 11. The team had eight solo blocks and eight block assists, with Hill getting five of those solo blocks.
Why is it Important?
Beating No. 9 is big but it is also the first win over the V-Hawks since a home match against Viterbo on August 31, 2006. The Lions are now 2-3 against the V-Hawks all-time and 4-4 against Carroll. It is also the first win against a top-25 team since a win against HIU on November 2, 2019, and the first against a top-10 team since a win over the College of Idaho at the Big Sky Challenge on August 25, 2018.
What Was Said?
"Every set has been a huge learning curve today," said head coach Jennifer Dorn. "We progressively have been getting better working as a unit and playing smart volleyball. Really proud of our efforts today as we continue to hone in on the process. Great teamwork all around including a big performance by freshman Delaney Hill with both her blocking and hitting game."
What's Next?
The Lions will look to upset two more top teams, as they will play No. 10 Providence at 10:00 a.m. and No. 13 Montana Tech at 4:00 p.m.
