HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – The Vanguard women's volleyball team headed to Golden West College for a showdown with the Westcliff Warriors Tuesday night. The Lions went in with a lot of confidence but had to rebound early against a tough Warrior side. Even though WU won the first set 25-19, VU came back to sweep the next three sets 25-18, 25-19, and 29-27 to take the match three sets to one. The Lions go to 6-3 on the year while the Warriors drop to 2-3 overall.
What Happened?
The Lions got the first kill of the match as Madeline DeLucia (JR/Happy Valley, OR) put a deft touch on a pass to Hailey Petersen (SR/Omaha, NE), who slammed it down. Westcliff then countered for two straight points before Adeline Galvanoni (FR/Chandler, AZ) tied the game at 2-2. The two adversaries then swapped points as the set moved on, with neither side escaping by more than one point. An attack error by the Warriors and an ace by Morgan Cole (FR/Bakersfield, CA) put VU ahead 12-11. However, the Warriors then hit their stride with a 5-2 run that seemed to take the wind out of the sails of the Lions. Westcliff would take a 15-14 lead and turn in a strong performance to nab the first set 25-18. VU hit .143 while Westcliff hit .361 in the first.
The second frame started out with a good volley from the Blue and Gold, as two kills from Cambria Fernandez (SR/Northridge, CA) and one more from Delaney Hill (FR/Foothill Ranch, CA) put the Lions up 4-1. Once more, the scrappy WU side pushed back and snagged a 7-5 edge. But the Lions had some more chips to put on the table, going on a 9-2 hot streak that saw the Warriors give up points on some attack errors. Cole and Galvanoni contributed to the run and the Lions did not lift up from the gas pedal. Payton Darm (SO/San Juan Capistrano, CA) and Fernandez each put down kills towards the end of the set, with Natalie Escher (SR/Redlands, CA) adding in an ace. Things seemed to be going fine but the Warriors then rallied to force VU into a timeout with the score at 24-16. Westcliff got the next two points as well but Rachel Lim (SO/La Palma, CA) delivered a nifty pass to Petersen, who battered down another kill to claim set two for the Lions 25-18. VU hit a match-best .275 in the second, holding the Warriors to .150.
VU opened the third by once more hammering out an early lead, with Blair Dodge (SO/Aliso Viejo, CA) contributing two aces as part of a 9-2 salvo. Westcliff called a timeout and got a few balls to drop in their favor but Cole and Callie Bickmore (JR/Auburn, CA) each chipped in kills to keep the lead in Vanguard's favor. An ace from Cole and a kill from Petersen a few rallies later increased the gap to 17-9. Fernandez and Darm got the Lions to a 23-13 lead but WU once more attempted to stave off defeat with a short run to shave the lead to 23-16. A timeout by Vanguard forced a Westcliff error but a couple of mistakes by VU after that saw the lead fall to 24-19, compelling Vanguard to take its second timeout. But that was all that was needed, as Petersen closed the door on the next rally with a booming kill to take set three 25-19. The Lions hit at a .207 rate, with Westcliff at -.031.
The fourth set started in a different direction, with the Lions falling behind 3-0. WU hurt themselves with some errors early on in the frame but the hosts were able to hold onto the advantage, pulling away to a 10-5 lead. Vanguard was able to slowly chip away, getting back-to-back kills from Fernandez and Bickmore, but the Warriors again sidestepped the lunge and chugged out to a 16-10 advantage. The lead hovered around four points as the set headed toward the final stages, forcing VU to call a timeout down 21-16. The break spurred on the Lions, who got a kill from Fernandez and an ace from Dodge to cut the deficit to 21-19. However, Westcliff did not seem phased and put the Lions on the edge of a fifth set at 24-21.
A service error gave the ball back to VU, who then forced another Westcliff error to quickly make it 24-23, with WU taking its first timeout. Fernandez went back to serve after the break and she perfectly tapped down an ace to level the set at 24-all. The Lions would twice more tie the score, with Cole pummeling down a ball to make it 26-26. DeLucia went back to serve and eventually, the setter would offer up a quality feed to Petersen, who put the Lions on the verge of victory at 27-26. However, an attack error once more tied the game. But the Lions were locked in and consecutive kills from Cole and Petersen spirited the Lions over the finish line for a fourth-set victory 29-27. VU hit .120 in the set and WU hit .125.
For the match, the Lions hit .184 with 49 total kills. VU had nine aces for the second match in a row, 63 digs, five solo blocks, and six block assists. Fernandez paced the lineup with 12 kills, with Cole next with 10. Petersen had nine kills and only one error on 18 attempts for the best hitting percentage on the team at .444. Galvanoni had four kills and no errors on 11 attempts. DeLucia had 23 assists and Lim had 20. Dodge and Fernandez tied for the team-high in digs, with each posting 13. Cole and DeLucia each had 10 digs. Dodge had three aces, with Cole and Escher each netting two. Darm stood tall with three solo blocks on the night.
What Was Said?
"I'm really proud of the way our team pulled together and finished," said Fernandez. "It was messy at times but we couldn't have asked for a better end! I am super stoked about this team and this season!
Why is it Important?
The Blue and Gold are now 3-0 against Westcliff all-time.
What's Next?
The Lions will play another tournament this weekend at Saint Katherine. The first day will see the team play No. 4 Marian and La Sierra, with match times set for 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
